We are made for community and made for love, yet many families have watched the habits that once held friendships together quietly slip away. Jim and Meghan welcome Leah Sargeant to explore what it takes to build a thicker community in a world reshaped by COVID, remote work, and screens. Drawing from her own journey from atheism to the Church and her life as a mom of three young kids, Leah shares simple, joyful ways to open your home, from saint day dinners to liturgical poetry afternoons. With candor and warmth, she invites families to take the right risks, welcome friends across every stage of life, and bring Christ into every friendship.
What’s in this episode:
The post-COVID clean slate and new permission to talk openly about loneliness
Saint feast days as an easy, joyful excuse to invite friends over for dinner
Liturgical poetry afternoons and show-and-tell gatherings that deepen friendship
C.S. Lewis on philia and building shoulder-to-shoulder friendships first
The rooftop dinner party that sparked her book, Building the Benedict Option
Why married couples should welcome single and cross-generational friends
The Other Feminisms Substack and what it means to be just to women as women
How to be a faithful witness when conversations about the Church get hard
Preparing the soil so another witness can plant the seed of conversion
Forming kids to take the right risks and fail fearlessly and generously
One resource every Catholic family should know: The Pillar
Book she is currently reading: Adam Roberts’ Fantasy: A Short History
Advice to her younger self: Be more hopeful about friendship and connection to other people rather than ideas
Final wisdom for listeners: Never part from a fellow Christian friend without praying together
Resources Mentioned:
Other Feminisms – A Substack community advocating for women in a world that makes an idol of autonomy
leahlibresco.com – Books, writing, and updates from Leah
The Pillar – Catholic news written with deep love for the Church and her people
The Dignity of Dependence by Leah Libresco Sargeant – A feminist manifesto rooted in Catholic thought
Arriving at Amen by Leah Libresco – A former atheist’s reflections on seven Catholic prayers
Building the Benedict Option by Leah Libresco – A guide to gathering two or three together in His name
The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher – A strategy for Christians in a post-Christian nation
Adam Roberts’ Fantasy: A Short History – A survey of fantasy literature, including reflections on Narnia