I was listening to this and in the middle of this I paused. ran some errands and was headed home. Suddenly I thought I should just go to the Catholic Church in town. I’m a protestant for now. The church is named for St.Benedict. In front there is a statue of Benedict. On the ground I found a medal in the dirt nearly buried. I had no idea what it was. Turns out it was a Benedictine medal. I played video again and immediately you guys explained what it was. Very cool. Providence?

I was a Protestant most of my adult life. Currently in RCIA and am in awe of Our Lord all over again! I have been blessed with these interviews with Fr. Boniface Hicks.

Converting to Catholicism & battling my own demons this helped me a lot. Good bless you both.

Converting Catholic here using my wife’s KZfaq account. Awesome episode, I really enjoyed it.

I am so glad I overcame my disinterest for this particular episode. I needed this interview. It was a unique answer to prayer.

There's just something pure about Christian monks - they're always so kind, gentle and often very fun.

I have been inquiring into the Orthodox church, and today my husband found two St. Benedict charms above our doorway in our home (from the previous owners). We've lived in our home for almost 1.5 years and only now, he finds them - and I researched who it was, and it led me to look into St. Benedict. This led me... here. And I'm blessed to hear this conversation.

A new understanding is unfolding for me watching this channel, and this episode with Father Boniface answered some questions I that I had been trying to work out on my own. I realize that I have been attempting to live in a kind of internal solitude thinking I could do everything on my own without centering God in my life. I’m so grateful for this interview and for the tools the Lord uses to show us the way.

So cool to see that Jack Dorsey has found Jesus and become a Benedictine Monk.

Oh, my goodness! 😃 Fr. Boniface, my children and I were at your ordination! 🙏🏻

What a holy priest... God bless him!

This was probably one of THE BEST interviews I've seen on your channel. The topics covered really helped me personally & spiritually in many ways. God bless Matt & Father Boniface! 🤍🙏🏻🤍

I really love listening to Fr. Boniface Hicks ❤️🙏

This was balm for my soul. Thank you both! All glory to God!

How on earth so many have watched and not clicked the 👍👍👍 is beyond me! This discussion was wonderful-God bless you both!!

My sister introduced me to your channel last month and I've been hooked! Such a beautiful ending prayer 💯

My sisters are benedictine nuns... they went to St Benedicts monastery in Subiaco .. and there they were shown an original painting done by the the monks of St Francis- The monks could see that he was a holy man and therefore painted a portrait of him.

Prayers for you Fr. Boniface - a good and holy priest. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

I love Fr. Boniface. Humility shines forth from his being. His prayer moved me to tears. I have been truly blessed, to have been exposed to, a Holy Man of God. Thank you.

My first silent retreat ever was led by him up in a tiny monastery close to my house SE of Pittsburgh. He was incredible and exuded holiness.

i just love this monk...Pure kindness on his face. God Bless You Both ❤❤❤❤

Thank you Matt. You bring the religious closer, more reachable to us. Seeing and listening to them even virtually brings much joy to me. May Our Blessed Mother look kindly upon you and your family!

I am so thankful for the Exodus 90 program it has truly changed my life. Father Hicks is part of it.

Very helpful! :) “ultimately when we reach the limits of ourselves, we can only transcend those by walking in that disorienting space of not knowing what is going on and walking in the silent love of His presence”. 1:39:46

Great interview Matt. Love Fr. Boniface! He is such a holy priest.

This is one of those SANTA I KNOW HIM moments. Love Fr. Boniface and St. Vincent so much

I don’t use this phrase lightly because it’s often used in a manipulative marketing way, but this conversation is life-changing.

Man what show! What a gift! My heart was full of joy and love throughout the conversation. Father Boniface is so authentic, so inspirational, so amicable! Your witness to God's love is unambiguous. Thank you Mr. Fradd for being such a skilled host and making this show possible. Thank you to our Protestants brothers and sisters for their zeal, faith and love and bring many of us back to our faith. Thank you to the many orders of religious consecrated that are and have existed. May Father God bless us all and gather us all to spend eternity in joy and with Him, Our Blessed Lady, St. Joseph and the communion of Saints and Angels! And kudos to whoever made the outro graphics and beat, I am totally jamming out as I type this comment! Love you all!

I converted 3 years ago (just before I turned 60). Fr. B rocks! Oh yeah, and so do YOU, Matt! 😎

The best interview ever!! Thank you so much for this. I will start my RCIA this Saturday (I am greek-orthodox). So thankful for this video!

cannot thank you enough for these beautiful long-form interviews, Matt. They are such an encouragement to my faith.

I wish I could listen to this priest every day!

Beard Physics is not a field of study I ever thought I would be interested in.

God Bless Fr. Boniface. He is a God send to me and all of us. Love to hear him speak - I have learned so much from him.

Father Boniface is such a blessing.

I, a Man. The Christ has been here for me. How he would crawl through the thistles to find me lost in the brush as a child, to remind me of Humanity, so I may stand as a Man. Or trek deep into the gnarling forest, to cut me out of brambling bushes. Save a tiger from his fierceness, yet his actions are of Peace. He has found me in the river, I the torrent, he the single rock. To guide me till the day he wears away, from all my tiresome beating. He has caught me as I'm falling with a noose around my neck, and spoken with me till the time I found the self respect to cut the rope. As I close my hands in prayer, so may he appear to me, as a spirit in the wilding forces, calm and beautiful, to cleanse. Amen.

I love this so much. It's exactly what I needed, and I can't believe how recently it was posted. I feel so blessed to have these people posting KZfaqs RIGHT NOW that are helping me make my conversion. Thank you Matt and Father Boniface! And thank you, God.

It's so nice to see Fr. Boniface on here! I have listened to him on WAOB for years! I wish I had caught the live b-cast! I hope you will have him back! Thanks, Matt for all the great interviews you post!

Student here from Saint Vincent, the monastery's college. Father Boniface is awesome!! (and Father Tom Acklin, too!)

Just listened to Fr Pine and Fr Hicks back to back, thank you both.

Praise God 🙏 I watched almost the whole video being challenged and somewhat inspired but I wondered if there would be anything said for someone like me. I thought I was understanding and I was interested. But then about fifteen minutes before the end...I had a moment where God really reached out to me. It's not magic and I'm not saying God's care for me makes me Holy so don't misunderstand. But either way I remembered Jesus really cares and He wants me to cast my cares on Him . He met my Need !!!! May God help us.

God help you and me to keep fighting the good fight of faith ... with Jesus and the archangel Michael by our side. Amen

One of the best explanations on how to listen to God that I've come across 1:09:26 to 1:14:54 They talk about how to pray

How wonderful to listen to you and to see that there is hope for Catholicism

I'm so thankful for having the opportunity to listen to this interview that has awakened my interest in these spiritual topics from the other side of the world. God bless you.

Regarding Matt's question about the Orthodox: both Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics traditionally have "tiny versions" of orders. Each monastery has its own Typikon (Rule). Monastic communities usually attach great importance to each partical Elder, Hegumen, Hegumena (Abbott, Abbess, etc.) of the community. Some communities go on to found many daughter ones, and they trace their "spiritual descendance" from that particular original founder. In that sense, they take on that person's particular spirituality. In modern times, due to Latin Catholic influence, the Eastern Catholics have adopted some orders. So you can find Ruthenian Catholic Carmelites in Pennsylvania, and 2 Melkite Catholic Carmelite foundations in Lebanon (founded by Spanish Carmelites). You can also find communities that follow the more traditional version, like Christ the Bridegroom Ruthenian Catholic Monastery in Ohio, that has its own independent Typikon/Rule and would not fall under any particular Order of the Catholic Church. Of course, the Orthodox Schism of the past had allowed for this tradition to not get influenced with the rise of Orders as such as in the West, but the reunion of many of those separated Orthodox Churches as Eastern Catholic ones in more recent times has allowed for Orders to enter into the Eastern Catholic Tradition. However, throughout history monasteries were still linked to a religious founder or even a lay founder who funded the community, for whom they pray in the Liturgy. The Maronite Catholics are an interesting mix: the have typically Western orders, as well as traditionally Maronite Orders that just tie themselves back to St. Maron and have become huge orders on their own, not found in the Latin Catholic Church either.

Matt, your podcast is becoming beautiful. You introduced me to your church pre-pandemic, but the Lord has worked Himself through me in this time as opportunity. Bless us, all.

Father Boniface is a very holy monk.

I felt perfect peace from Jesus through the words of Fr Boniface, and Jesus told me how much he loves me in the stillness. The prayer and blessing helped me shed healing tears. 🙏❤️🙏

Dead on, Fr. Hicks, we can in fact sanctify places by our Presence there.God has used me on many occasions to drive out demons and evil spirits who have taken root through the Saint Michael prayer. Most recently, when I attended Mass at a Parish which was known to have been infiltrated by the false spirit of homosexuality. I was experiencing great turmoil while praying before the Blessed Sacrament and not knowing where this attack was coming from, I began to identify with the Agony in the Garden. It was a Friday as well, and so I began to pray the Saint Michael prayer assiduously in the way God showed me to do it effectively on a Pilgrimage to Assisi many years ago. While I was not sweating blood, the experience of praying this prayer became increasingly more difficult, but I was still somehow able to recognize by past experiences that some sort of spiritual warfare was taking place and continued to persevere until mentally it was no longer possible for me…after leaving, in my car which I had turned into a sanctified place, God reminded me of a homosexual man whom I had prayed the rosary with in the adoration chapel some months prior in that place and also of a man who I knew to be a practicing homosexual and had attended Mass there for many years. It was then that I realized that the Lord had brought me there that day, to expel the lasting vestiges of desanctification of that place by false spirits which had remained. So in the same way that we can help sanctify a place, those who are walking in gravely immoral and unrepented sin who then also receive communion can act to desanctify a place. It is truly a spiritual battle.

Father Boniface is a great guy. Humble,authentic and good sense of humour. Needed to hear this conversation.

John 12:9-11: The Plot to Kill Lazarus 9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

What an AWESOME interview. I would expect many more comments and likes. Thank you and God Bless you Fr. Boniface and Matt

I love this interview!!, Thank you lord for the gift of father Boniface to the church, thank you for this

This. This is helping to approach God with a desire to undo the knots of my soul.

When Father talked about staying away from the Sacraments for 2 years, so similar to my experience. I stayed away from sacraments for about a year before doing my general confession. So interesting, I thought I was the only one who did this.

Yes, Sheldon Vanauken converted to Catholicism later in life (after he wrote a severe Mercy)

I will now refer to my Adoration hour as Date Night 😊

You arw hilarious, my sir, Matt and I started binging on your videos a few days ago and I laugh so hard at you cheeky jokes. I love the Fr.'s laughter too.. It did kill my pre conceive notion that monks don't laugh boisterously 😁

Thank you Fr Boniface for such a wonderful talk on Intimacy with Jesus and sharing your journey to monasticism. I learned new things about Benedictine spirituality especially the vows/not. I had to listen to this pod cast in parts in order to concentrate what was being shared. I have checked your books out on-line and saved x2 of them.🙏

I agree with others that this is one of Matt's best interview. There's so much treasure here. Fr. Boniface is awesome. Thank you for this and God bless 🙏

Love the show, you should move those horns on the shelf though, it looks like they are growing out of the guest's head. It's bugging me out a little lol.

This is So Awesome And So Helpful, THANK YOU GOD AND BOTH OF YOU🙏

Really beautiful interview Matt, God bless you.

I enjoyed this particular podcast so much! I have been a Benedictine oblate for 44 years this past March. I was 28 at the time affiliating with a monastery of women close to where I lived. Through all my changes as a Christian, being a Benedictine oblate, following the Rule and practicing prayer has been the most constant part of my life. I've been blessed to encounter oblates from all over the world. I've journeyed from a Protestant conservative Lutheran, and in 2016 became an Orthodox Christian. As the women's monastery inevitably closed as the sisters aged my affiliation now is with a Benedictine Abbey. At this time, I find that my Benedictine foundation compliments my now Orthodox faith practice as a Christian. Blessing to you both.

Agree with others that this was the best PWA episode thus far. May God continue to bless your work!

This was awesome

Wow I relate so much to him..

Such a wonderful conversation. Thank you both.

Awesome conversation! Thank you for your work Matt, really love the channel! God bless you and Fr. Boniface

Thank you father for that wonderful prayer 🙏🥹😇

i remember watching Father’s journey home episode with Grodi a while back, one of my favorites

This has relieved me of so much bondage ... as an aspiring Benedictine oblate, I'm very drawn to Benedictine spirituality and this has reinforced why ... THANK YOU -- Tiffany

Fr Boniface, coming some times to St Gregory the Grate Catholic ⛪️ in Va Bch; I’m attending for 25 years in this Holly Church, grateful to be CATHOLIC all my life, my gratitude for Benedict monks & priests

to avoid purgatory completely is probably almost impossible, but God gave us a way to make it shorter by Mary, long time ago she has told a monk that by accepting Scapular, wearing it every day to the rest of your life, praying every day with the pray that was appointed in the accepting ceremony, and being in state of grace when dying, Mary will come for the person to purgatory on the next Saturday and will take them to Heaven, so if we do all of those thing the longest we will need to wait is 6 days (i wrote it all from memory so might be 95% accurate)

Read Personal Prayer, read it slowly, ponder it and pray as you go. It is life-changing.

Everyone has a relationship with God whether they know it or not, we are never not held in being by the Lord and our every act. Our every moment is an offering to God, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful is what we offer God every moment. We cannot deny this, cannot ever fully escape it, even down the darkest hole, I AM THERE. I AM WITH YOU

What a wonderful interview. Thank you for both for this inspiring and beautiful dialogue. St Benedict, Ora Pro Nobis!

Beautiful and genuinely helpful interview.

In this time of extreme emotionalism where mankind worships the self, it is quite clear to me that there is a cliff that we walk on the edge of and this cliff is drawing us close as it disguises itself as the voice of God and appeals to consolations…consolations that may not be from God…we must quickly grow up in our faith and intellectualize Truth lest the cliff pulls us over. The CCR and Protestantism have a common heritage…Pentecostalism and further back the emotionalism of Martin Luther. Be careful to not give too much credit to zeal based on a lie which wraps itself in the light of “faith.” There is only ONE faith and we must love our separated brethren and Luke warm Catholics enough to not hide Truth for the sake of good vibes and feelings. God Bless you both and keep the Faith.

This was absolutely beautiful 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I found Fr. Hicks discussion of the history of the Benedictines very interesting. Didn't really know much about them. Matt's program format is a great way to bring a greater understanding of the many Catholic orders. I look forward to learning more.

The prayer at the end was a great idea and Fr Boniface did it super well :D

Oh how exciting to see you again in this video. You preached at St Monica in Chippewa. You are truly a blessing to the church. Your laugh is contagious. Does your throat ever hurt? Everytime I'm is the area you are always speaking. Miss your voice.

Father had a good question of translating “vulnerability” into the traditional lingo... maybe being “poor in spirit”?

God really puts us in discomfort all the time when we’re feeling lax and all... But I decided to let go when it happens and live in the now. Maybe God is giving me some little crosses from time to time because i can’t do proper mortification by myself. hehe and i can only feel closest to God when im with my cross than any other time so sometimes, i feel like im called to suffer. i dunno if that’s it, but at least nothing wasted if you suffer with Jesus. Makes your cross look a lot smaller. Makes you love Him even more... Oh, my Lord, I love you.

ora et labora. " in that context what ever we do, as work , can be in the frame of a prayer, nothing formal but the awareness of god in all we do.

Very cool, I live right near that monastery and have met a few of their monks at Penn state and at local churches

I just love that he mentioned Jonathan pegeau

Excellent.

Ordering one of those books now Loved this chat thank you both Has really helped me with a Question I had 🙏. ☘️☘️🇮🇪

Docility is a word from the tradition that might align with vulnerability

At the 9 minute mark, Father mentions that he is from Latrobe PA at the big monastery there. I assume that they have changed and are more orthodox. At least from hearing him it sounds like it. In 2005 I went there for 3 weeks as part of a vocation discernment, it was during the winter and I drove up from Virginia in the middle of a snow storm. It was quite the experience once I got there. The monks were nice, the food was amzing.. I have never seen a refectory quite like theirs. After all, the monastery at that time had 175 monks in it. The problem that I had was when I was interviewed by the head of the theology dept for the monastery and college. We got into a massive argument over the 'True Presence", the priest told me that he had seen so many men "like me" who came in hot as a canon ball believing things in the Church that simply were not true and by the time they left his classes and had a proper Catholic education, they knew that the True Presence couldn't be true, because it was just symbolic. I had never heard such nonsense before.. this man and I had a big confrontation over it and I was dismissed from his meeting after an hour of arguing. To think that the monastic theology professor.. didn't believe in the true presence of Our Lord.. blew my mind. The following day, I had a meeting with the abbot. His office was MASSIVE, 3 large leather couches, a massive desk... but he was a good man. He and I had a nice meeting, he apologized for the theology professor and said that he had heard such things from him before and to ignore it, that the monastery and seminary was run and managed differently, he basically just apologized for the man. I asked him why so few came to daily prayers if the monastery had 175 monks. I remember he leaned back and sighed and told me that many of the monks prefer to pray in their own rooms because they think they are holier than the rest.. lol. He clearly had his hands full. Like I said, he was a nice kind man. The monks that I met were nice men as well and the monastery at Latrobe was HUGE! It has its own fire dept, power plant, brewery, and hospital wing which was on the second floor of the monastery and was pretty advanced as far as technology goes. The monastery also had its own movie theater for the monks that included several popcorn machines and recliners with a large 150" screen. Each floor of the monastery had a full open bar and pool room and all of the food was served buffet style including a soft serve ice cream bar. They live extremely well... After leaving, a few years later I got a call from the monastery, they were looking for vocations and asked me if i had discerned mine yet.. I answered some questions and then they asked me for my name and I said "Michael B....". The caller got silent.. and he said one of the rudest things I have heard from a monk.. LOL.. "Oh, you're THAT Michael B....". And then he hung up on me. 😂😂😂 I guess after having the fight with the liberal theology professor who didn't believe in the true presense I was put on a list. I would never recommend a vocation to that monastery.. perhaps they have changed... but i doubt it. One interesting note to tell is that every summer, the Steelers go to that monastery to practice football on their fields. I also still have a bottle of Latrobe beer on my shelf as a commoration of my time there.

Please interview Peter Kreeft again. He has written a new book, "How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss".

Thank you Fr. Hicks!

Good gracious that man is brilliant

This was *really* good, thanks

A relationship is coming to terms with another person's motivations, ideals and goals and choosing to walk together, mindful of the slack and tension of the rope that ties you one to another.

Hi Matt, I’m Joel. As I have commented before that I’m about to become a Catholic Priest, I’m eagerly looking for the order that I could serve God better. I’m inclined towards the orders founded by our old church fathers, especially Benedictine, Dominican, Jesuits, and Franciscan. Thank you so much for this interview.

Beautiful. Thank you.