Try that in a Small Town with Fr. Sean O’Brien

The Catholic Man Show

Fr. Sean O'Brien joins us in studio to talk about evangelizing, Catholic culture, and encounter.

In this episode we discuss:

• The importance of prayer in evangelization
• Involving the community in small towns
• Tips on evangelization
• The importance of listening in evangelization

You can check out Fr. Sean's podcast here.

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Living Beyond Sunday: Making Your Home a Holy Place

Our new book is available for pre-order from Ascension Press! “I love this book. It provides wise counsel with beautiful simplicity. So, if you are looking to safeguard your family life from the wiles of the enemy and encourage your spouse and children to become the saints God is calling them to be, this is a book for you.” – Fr Gregory Pine Home life can be difficult and busy, and it’s easy to get distracted from the point of it all: raising a family of saints. In Living Beyond Sunday: Making Your Home a Holy Place, two married couples share what has helped them make their homes a place of encounter with God–a place where saints are being made.

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By giving us a rating on iTunes, it helps others find the show. Want to say up with The Catholic Man Show? Sign up for our mailing list: Click Here Looking for a prayer to pray with your wife? Check this blog out. Are you getting our emails? Sign up for our newsletter where we give you all bacon content – never spam. SIGN UP HERE: Transcript: Try that in a small town Fr. Sean O'Brien: [00:00:00] [00:01:00] The Catholic Man Show contains high levels of manliness. If you think you may be too weak to withstand the manliness represented in the following program, please do yourself a favor and stop listening now. If you choose to continue in spite of this warning, If at any time you feel yourself overcome by the manliness, stop immediately and consult your closest medical professional. And now, for the not so fair, faint, or frilly, [00:02:00] we present The Catholic Men's Show. Adam Minihan: Welcome to the Catholic Man Show. Alleluia. I said it. I said it. Alleluia. It was a long time coming. We're on the Lord's team, the winning side. So raise your glass. Adam and Anne here with Sir David Niles. We also have a good friend, fellow priest of the Diocese of Tulsa in Eastern Oklahoma. And of God. And of God. Also a brother in law to David David Niles: Niles. In the order of Malchizedek. Adam Minihan: Also a, a good friend of ours all the way from kindergarten as David Niles: well. It's kindergarten class reunion Fr. Sean O'Brien: right here. It's a few years ago, that's David Niles: it. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, just a handful. Adam Minihan: Father Sean O'Brien. [00:03:00] Great to have you Fr. Sean O'Brien: here. Good to be here. Adam Minihan: We also have Jim here. Jim. Jim, it's been, it's been a long 40 days. David Niles: We'll see what Jim is back. Yeah, we'll see how you rate the yummy skill today. I'm not sure, I'm not sure what your rating is gonna be. I'm interested to tell, to Fr. Sean O'Brien: hear. Today. But he is here with his strength. I feel very secure. Yes. I am sitting David Niles: next to him. I feel like our whole conversation is gonna be like Adam Minihan: more at ease. Yeah, we were pretty People uptight the last 40 Fr. Sean O'Brien: days. You just never know. People can break through the door. Not sure. Totally. And that's gonna be okay David Niles: if they do. I mean, if they do now. Oh yeah. If they do now, yeah. Yeah. You get what you, you get what you, you sow what you reap. It's their own fault. No. You reap what you sow, Anna. Yeah. Although, ironically, you also do sow what you reap because those are the seeds that you have. Unless you buy the Adam Minihan: seeds. Unless you do that. We have entered into a new season, a new liturgical season. The best. The best season. I've also entered into a new stage of fatherhood. Oh. I have now entered into [00:04:00] the stage of fatherhood of Did you turn out the lights, David Niles: fatherhood? Adam Minihan: Yes. One that I never thought I would, I would get to, because I just did not think that was gonna be, that was gonna be me. Mm hmm. My, my dad did it all the time. Yeah. I did not think it was that big of a deal growing up. I did not think that it was something, you know, Really to, to, like, be concerned about. It's like three cents for the light to be on. David Niles: Especially now with Fr. Sean O'Brien: LEDs. So are you feeling, are there more lights being left on? Yes. Is the electricity the issue? Is it? Oh, Adam Minihan: that's not it. It's not, no, it's just like It's the principle of the thing. Right. It's about having order and, like, having responsibility in Fr. Sean O'Brien: the home. We're conservatives here. We will conserve David Niles: electricity. That's right. We don't leave the water running in the sink. That's right. When you're not Adam Minihan: there, don't leave the light on. I just did not realize that I was going to come to this. To this level of fatherhood, but here I am. David Niles: Congratulations to you. Yeah, I've also been at this level. For a while. And it's very weird. You know, and it [00:05:00] sneaks up on you. Turn off the lights! A little bit. It does. It's not like one day You just decide. You put on a new pair of pants and then you're, you know, that kind of dad. You just kind of realize, at some point, you hear words coming out of your Adam Minihan: mouth and you say, I haven't heard those words for 20 some odd years. And it was from my David Niles: father. Right. Right. Like, Obi Wan Kenobi. It's like, that's a name I have not heard in a long time. Yeah, which is very weird. Well, congratulations. Thank Adam Minihan: you. It's really good about it. Yeah, it's a true father. All right We're having this this evening Penelope straight rye whiskey toasted Barrel finished which I'm not sure what kind of finish David Niles: What's the finish Fr. Sean O'Brien: barrel? It was I Adam Minihan: think actually metal all Yeah, all whiskeys are barrel David Niles: finished. I don't yeah and barrel started and barrel Adam Minihan: middled. Yeah but they do, oh, so here's, here's what it is. They, they finish the straight [00:06:00] rye whiskey in a new freshly toasted barrel. Okay. So like it's a toasted barrel finish. That's what it's not. David Niles: Oh, it does say toasted. It's not toasted barrel finish. It's Adam Minihan: toasted David Niles: barrel finish. That is confusing because it's a different size. The word toasted, different line, different size, Adam Minihan: different color. So, 100 proof. It's a rye whiskey, so it's gonna have a little bit of bite, a little bit of sting to it. Hopefully. We're on the Lord's team. David Niles: The winning side. So raise your glass. Cheers. Adam Minihan: Cheers to Jesus. Cheers. Cheers. To the, to the risen Fr. Sean O'Brien: Christ. And to my goddaughter whose name is Penelope. One of mine. Ooh hmm. Cheers to her. Adam Minihan: Shout out to Penelope. Jim, what do you think? David Niles: Do you need some time before you, do you need some time before you come up with a yummy Adam Minihan: scale? Okay. He's just so, I mean, he is probably a little rusty. David Niles: I mean, Adam Minihan: when you look at him, his palate is probably a, like, needs to get back acclimated too. Yeah. David Niles: We'll let you, [00:07:00] we'll give, we'll give you give, we'll give you a minute or two, Jim, Adam Minihan: we'll, we'll catch you on, on, on the flip side, David Niles: I'm not a rye guy. I mean, I just don't drink it very often. Mm-Hmm. . It's not my preference and this is kind of, yep. It's a rye. I don't have a lot to say about it because I think it's probably good as, Fr. Sean O'Brien: as rye go. How do you describe that rye flavor? I feel like there's like a low flavor, I don't know how to describe it. Is it that lowness Adam Minihan: there that I'm, yeah, it's a, it's the, it's a little bit of that burn that, that strength at the very end, that catch that you catch. Also has, because it is toasted, you can almost like. Smell like burnt marshmallows. How do you toast whiskey? You toast the barrel. You put the barrel on the fire? Like the inside is all David Niles: charred. Yeah, sometimes they'll have a barrel. Upside down on a conveyor belt and then they have like the biggest flamethrower you've ever seen and they just char it for like 15 seconds and Like they let they let it have it. Fr. Sean O'Brien: Mm hmm. Take that [00:08:00] whiskey. You're gonna be toast Adam Minihan: Yeah Now father Sean you are the pastor of three Fr. Sean O'Brien: parishes three parishes in two counties in two different counties The floor County has County Poto Spiro and Stigler of the towns And I'm also the pastor of every town in between. David Niles: That's true. Even though there's no church. You know what? That is interesting. What makes it interesting? I just wouldn't have thought about Adam Minihan: Can you be a pastor without the Do you have to have a church to be considered a pastor? You, Fr. Sean O'Brien: Oh, that's a good question. I never thought about that. You would have to have a territory at least. David Niles: Right, yeah, so Fr. Sean O'Brien: it like puts it in your And I would assume that you need a location to celebrate the sacraments so that would be the parish. David Niles: Yeah. I have never thought about, oh, being the pastor of a place where there's no church, but Missionary, you know? Yeah, but it makes, it does make sense that, hey, this is your Fr. Sean O'Brien: territory. At least a territory. Adam Minihan: Yeah, it's [00:09:00] your territory. I've always understood it to be like that you're the spiritual father of all of those, like you're, you're, you're in charge of those souls that are in your quote unquote territory. You know, it's not, it's just like here in Broken Arrow, we have Saint Benedict, But Father Brian Brooks is in charge of more than just the people who go into Yeah. St. Benedict. Walk through the David Niles: doors. Actually, because whether you're Catholic or not. Right. He's got their soul. Yeah. So you have like the O'Brien triangle between your three parishes. Fr. Sean O'Brien: You can describe it as David Niles: that way. Yeah. As you wish. That's how I like to, I like to, starting Fr. Sean O'Brien: right now, I like to say walk into this triangle. You're toast. You're Catholic. This David Niles: is Fr. Sean O'Brien: You're like this whiskey. Game over. You're toasted. You're toasted. Flamethrower of grace upon your soul. Love it. Sacred heart burning you Adam Minihan: up. And you, you've been there for how many Fr. Sean O'Brien: years now? Going on completing three years. So two and almost three years. This is my third Adam Minihan: year. Okay, and before that you Fr. Sean O'Brien: were I was an [00:10:00] associate pastor here in Tulsa, at two different parishes, three here also in Broken Arrow, but at the other church, not y'all's place, St. Anne's, and then one year at the church we call St. Pius. Mm hmm. That's where I got my Spanish feet underneath me. Nice. Not very well. The people suffered my Spanish, but they suffered it with grace. David Niles: Your Spanish Fr. Sean O'Brien: now is pretty good, though. It's, it's good. I'm just thankful. Yeah, I do Adam Minihan: it well, but so this is your first like, Fr. Sean O'Brien: Pastor assignment? First pastorate. Yeah. I'm the first I'm the pastor. Nice. David Niles: Yeah. And you are, how many years a priest? Fr. Sean O'Brien: Eight. Think seven plus, I think this is almost eight then. Yeah. Yeah. About ready to complete eight years. Praise God. Praise love it. I love it. Yeah. This is David Niles: the best eight best. That's, that's a, that's a big year. It's like, is it? Well, you know, there's like the seven, eight year. Seven eight is like. A good number. It's the, cause it's the days of creation plus one. Okay, I buy that. You know, like, sometimes in churches you'll see eight. Like eight pointed [00:11:00] stars. Baptismal, baptismal font