The Catholic Woman Podcast

We've all been taught that Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light. So why does grief feel like neither? This week Marie Hanson sits down with licensed mental health counselor Samantha Stefaniak, founder of Rooted Soul Grounded Mind, for an honest conversation about what it actually looks like to grieve as a Catholic woman without losing your faith or faking your peace.

In this episode:
- Why questioning God in grief isn't a lack of faith, it's how He built us
- The difference between healthy grieving and grief that's turned spiritually harmful
- What to do in the first ten minutes when grief hits and you don't know how to cope
 -How to support a grieving friend without having the right words
- Why two feelings can be true at once: disappointment and gratitude
- What the Glorious Mysteries teach us about grief that isn't final
- How to validate grief that isn't tied to losing a person

If this episode meets you somewhere heavy today, hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming.

The Catholic Woman:
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Connect with Samantha Stefaniak:
Website: https://rootedsoulgroundedmind.com
Instagram and Facebook: @RootedSoulGroundedMind

Thank you to our sponsors:
Sole Atelier — the first professional planner built for Catholic women, weaving prayer and productivity into one. Get 10% off with code CATHOLICWOMAN10 at https://soleatelier.com
Salt and Light by Sami — toxin-free candles, diffusers, and perfume made without carcinogens or phthalates. Use code CATHOLICWOMAN at https://saltandlightbysami.com/CATHOLICWOMAN
Raising Well Mannered Children — faith-built resources for forming virtue in your kids. Use code FAMILY5 at https://raisingwellmanneredchildren.com

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How to plan a Catholic wedding step by step: what makes a marriage sacramental, how to book a Catholic church for a wedding, what documents you need for a Catholic wedding, and how to navigate convalidation or a mixed marriage in the Catholic Church. Taught by Marie Hanson, Catholic wedding planner of five years.

This episode covers:
- What is the difference between validity, licitness, and sacramentality in a Catholic marriage
- How far in advance to book a Catholic church wedding and why parishes take longer than reception venues
- What is pre-cana and how do Catholic marriage prep requirements vary by diocese
- What paperwork is needed for a Catholic wedding, including baptismal certificates, letters of freedom to marry, and marriage dispensations
- What is convalidation and how to convalidate a marriage in the Catholic Church
- Mixed marriage vs disparity of cult in Catholic weddings, and which one requires a dispensation
- Full nuptial mass vs rite of marriage outside of Mass, and how to decide which one is right for your wedding
- Catholic wedding dress code and modesty guidelines, plus photography and music rules during a Catholic wedding Mass
- A complete Catholic wedding planning checklist and timeline, from guest list to reception

Grab the free Catholic wedding planning checklist with 350+ to-do’s: https://catholicwoman.co/catholic-wedding-planning-checklist

Join Presence for weekly texts and journal reflections with Marie. Code CWP for your first month free at catholicwoman.co/present.

Free resources from Marie:
- Free Wedding Planning Checklist (350+ to-dos): https://catholicwoman.co/catholic-wedding-planning-checklist
- Catholic wedding templates (mass programs, invitations, stationery, and more), code CWP30 for 30% off: https://catholicweddingshop.etsy.com?coupon=CWP30

The Catholic Woman Podcast:
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- Website: https://catholicwoman.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our sponsors:
- Catholic Sobriety Coach, Sober-ish Summer: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com
- St. Joseph's House of Repose mentorship, mention "The Catholic Woman Podcast" for a free third month: https://stjosephshouseofrepose.com
- Salt and Light by Sami, code CATHOLICWOMAN: https://saltandlightbysami.com/CATHOLICWOMAN

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how to plan a Catholic wedding, what makes a marriage sacramental, difference between validity licitness and sacramentality, how far in advance to book a Catholic church wedding, what is pre-cana Catholic wedding, Catholic marriage prep requirements by diocese, what paperwork is needed for a Catholic wedding, how to convalidate a marriage in the Catholic Church, mixed marriage vs disparity of cult, full nuptial mass vs rite of marriage outside Mass, Catholic wedding dress code and modesty guidelines, Catholic wedding music rules, Catholic wedding planning checklist, baptismal certificate for wedding, letters of freedom to marry Catholic wedding

Almost every Catholic has someone they love who has walked away from the Church. A sibling, an adult child, a spouse, or the friend who insists she can pray just fine at home. This week Kristine Bruce, founder of Praying for Our Prodigals, shares the four pillars that actually bring people back, and why arguing is almost never the thing that does it.

NEW this week!!! Every episode now comes with a free recap you can save and revisit. Sign up once at https://catholicwoman.co/episode-recaps and you'll get the recap for this show plus access to all the past ones, no notetaking required.

In this episode:
- Why your relatives are usually not the ones you'll convert directly, and what to do instead
- The four pillars Kristine built her whole apostolate around: trust, pray, sacrifice, and love
- The small daily sacrifice that brought one person home (yes, it involved giving up chapstick)
- How to ask better questions so you reach the real reason someone left, not the polite one
- What to do when a fallen-away loved one receives the Eucharist anyway
- How to hold the line on hard things like cohabitation without breaking the relationship
- The prayer from St. Faustina's diary that Kristine prays at every consecration

If this one meets you where you are, follow the show so you never miss an episode, and come join Presence. Three short texts a week that find you in the middle of an ordinary day and turn your heart back to what matters. Your first month is free with code CWP at https://catholicwoman.co/present.

Connect with Kristine Bruce:
- Praying for Our Prodigals: https://prayingforourprodigals.com
- Sign up for her Friday email and get a free download on the four pillars

The Catholic Woman Podcast:
- Presence Texts: https://catholicwoman.co/present (use code “CWP” for your first month free, then it’s just $5)
- Newsletter and show notifications: https://catholicwoman.co/newsletter
- Substack: https://substack.com/@thecatholicwoman
- Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/share/g/1GeKDTt7WA/
- Website: https://catholicwoman.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our sponsors:
- Salt and Light by Sami: toxin-free candles, diffusers, and perfumes. Use code CatholicWoman at https://saltandlightbysami.com
- Mary and the Saints: beautiful, genuinely doable Marian consecration books and more. Use code CWP15 for 15% off at https://maryandthesaints.com
- The Catholic Sobriety Coach: join Soberish Summer, 62 days for $62, start anytime this summer at https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

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🎉 EPISODE 50 GIVEAWAY (enter before July 6th!) To celebrate 50 episodes, we're giving away a big box of Catholic goodies plus a gift card. Here's how to enter:
- Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts (you don't need an Apple device to do this), screenshot it, and either DM @thecatholicwomanpodcast on Instagram or email it to thecatholicwomanpodcast@gmail.com
- Bonus entry: subscribe to the show on YouTube, screenshot it, and send it over
- Bonus entry: comment on the pinned giveaway post on Instagram, screenshot it, and send it over.
The winner is drawn July 6th, the day next week's episode airs. Good luck!

Ruthie Dellasega spent years trying to change her life on willpower, and nothing held until she did a Marian consecration she almost stumbled into. In this Episode 50 milestone conversation, we talk about Mary as the real, relatable model of Catholic womanhood, why going to Jesus through her actually deepens your relationship with him, and the five-second prayer that can start it all.

In this episode:
- Why Mary is the model of Catholic womanhood, and how to stop seeing her as untouchable
- Ruthie's conversion story and the consecration she almost didn't finish
- The difference between a mountaintop high that fades and a change that actually stays
- Our Lady of the Kitchen, and praying "Mary, fill the gap" in the middle of ordinary motherhood
- Why we go to Jesus through Mary instead of around her
- Why the devil is genuinely afraid of Mary
- The simplest possible way to start a Marian consecration this week

If this is your first time here, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. And come join Presence for weekly texts, journal reflections, and a monthly live call with me. Use code CWP for your first month free at https://catholicwoman.co/present.

Connect with Ruthie Delasega: 
Website: https://www.maryandthesaints.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mary_and_saints 

The Catholic Woman Podcast: 
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FREE episode recap library: https://catholicwoman.co/episode-recaps

Thank you to our sponsors!

- Reclaiming Catholic Intimacy: grab the free download, What the Church Really Says About Sex and Marriage, at https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/cwp

- Contemporary Saints: a Catholic family-owned modest fashion boutique with free US shipping over $70 and 15% off when you sign up for emails, https://contemporarysaints.com

- Sacred Heart Mental Wellness: Catherine DiNuzzo, author of The Catholic Guide Through Anxiety and its new companion workbook. Use code CWP15 for 15% off her entire shop at https://sacredheartmentalwellness.com

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Most Catholic women were never told that sex is supposed to feel good for them. Ellen Holloway is a Catholic sex and intimacy coach, and she is filling the gaping hole of practical, faithful sex education that the Church has always supported but almost no one has been willing to talk about. This conversation is honest, charitable, and completely in line with Church teaching, and it will change the way you think about intimacy in your marriage.

In this episode, we cover:
- What the Church actually teaches about sex and marriage and why it is good news, not a rule book
- Why desire tends to decrease over the course of a marriage, and the surprisingly simple reason behind it
- Why pain during sex is never something to push through and what to do instead
- The truth about lubrication: only about 20% of women adequately lubricate on their own, and what that means for you
- What JPII called a "justice issue"  and why learning to experience orgasm is not selfish, it's important
- How pelvic floor dysfunction and conditions like endometriosis affect intimacy, and what actually helps
- Why healing your own sex life is one of the most important things you can do for your daughters and sons

Free resource from Ellen: https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/CWP

NEW! Never take notes again. Get the FREE one-page listener guide for every episode at https://catholicwoman.co/episode-recaps

Connect with Ellen Holloway:
Free download: https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/CWP/
Podcast: Reclaiming Catholic Intimacy (on all podcast platforms) 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ellenholloway_

The Catholic Woman Podcast: 
Presence Texts: https://catholicwoman.co/present (Use code CWP for your first month free, then it's just $5)
Newsletter: https://catholicwoman.co/newsletter 
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Website: https://catholicwoman.co 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast 
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our sponsors!!!
Bono the Good Boy Podcast - A podcast your whole family will love. Listen on Fio | Apple Podcasts | Spotify 

Mangio Arts - Catholic art for your home. Use code WOMANPODCAST for 15% off: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MangioArtsStore 

Contemporary Saints - Modest fashion for Catholic women: https://contemporarysaints.com

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