In this episode replay of The Catholic Gentleman, Sam and John unpack the tremendously rich patrimony the desert fathers have given the world but are lost in the west. We are joined by the knowledgable and experienced director, Fr. David Abernethy (An Oratorian), to go back to the roots of this spiritual tradition that is unmatched in its ability to overcome temptations and grow in unity with Christ. Learn how to actually strengthen your will, unite your heart and mind, and how a life not working on frequent asceticism can never fully achieve the unity with God that is possible before death.
In this episode we discuss;

How even Catholic conversations online add to the noise of the world

How ascetical practices are greater than mere reparation for sins

How Eastern Spirituality must be renewed in study and practice

And More


Fr. David Abernethy was born in Johnstown PA and is a Father of The Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Pittsburgh. Father David converted to Catholicism as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his Bachelors Degree. He also holds Masters Degrees in Sacred Theology and Divinity and has spent many years as a priest studying clinical counseling and Psychoanalysis at the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center where he is an academic candidate. In 1987 the Philokalia was given to Father David as a gift; this gift sparked a love for the Desert Fathers and Eastern Spirituality that Father David has developed for over thirty years. He has a particular interest in the works of Saint John Cassian, Saint John Climacus and Saint Isaac the Syrian. Father David was ordained to the Priesthood 1994. 
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