It’s so great to have Marcus Mescher back on the podcast. A couple of months ago, the Sisters of the Little Way published a conversation with Marcus about moral injury. And while Marcus and I have talked about moral injury before, he said some things in that conversation that resonated with some of my personal experiences. So I dove into that more with him. And we discussed some of Pope Leo’s teaching from Magnifica Humanitas about ecclesial repentance and renewal. It was so good speaking with Marcus again!
Dr. Marcus Mescher is professor of Christian ethics at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. He earned his Masters and PhD at Boston College, specializing in Catholic social teaching and moral formation. He teaches and writes on a range of issues in Christian discipleship, from marriage and family to the impact of digital technology and social networks on moral identity, agency, and relationships to the implications of solidarity for our social, economic, and environmental lives. This academic year, Marcus is serving as Senior Fellow at the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. He is the author of more than 50 essays for academic and popular audiences, as well as The Ethics of Encounter: Christian Neighbor Love as a Practice of Solidarity (published with Orbis Books). He and his wife Anne are raising three children, ages 8 to 17.
Before I jump into the episode I want to make an ask.
The Third Space podcast and substack is a crucial part of my “real job.” Like many millennials, my family’s income is in the gig economy. I work part-time as a professional counselor, then the rest of my income comes from consulting and coaching work about spiritual abuse in the Church and Third Space. I never anticipated that this Substack would become a real job, a key source of my income. But it has. And I’m grateful for it.
Obviously, I’m not the first creator to make an income off of Substack. However, many of the professional Substackers put some or all of their content behind a paywall. And that’s great! Writers and podcasters deserve to be paid for their work. But I’ve decided not to do that. I always want Third Space to remain a resource that’s completely free and accessible to everyone who can benefit from it, regardless of their financial situation. That’s important to me.
But I’m realizing that you don’t know what I need unless I tell you, unless I ask.
The reality is that writing the essays and preparing for/recording podcasts take a significant amount of time, research, and emotional energy every week. Time and effort that, if I’m going to keep growing Third Space, also need to have financial growth. In the past two years, the overall subscribers have more than doubled, but the paid subscribers have only gone up by half.
If you have the resources and value Third Space—if you open these emails and listen to the podcast—if you believe these conversations are important for the People of God, please consider becoming a paid patron today.
You won’t get exclusive bonus content for upgrading. You’ll get the knowledge that you’re directly keeping these resources free for thousands of others, supporting my family, and ensuring Third Space can continue to grow.
There’s a few ways to support Third Space, and there are some new “thank you” gifts for your support.
List here for more details: https://www.catholicthirdspace.com/p/we-must-let-ourselves-be-evangelized
LINKS:
Sisters of the Little Way: Dr. Marcus Mescher on Moral Injury
https://www.sistersofthelittleway.com/p/dr-marcus-mescher-on-moral-injury
Measuring & Exploring Measuring & Exploring Moral Injury Caused by Moral Injury Caused by Clergy Sexual Abuse
https://www.xavier.edu/moral-injury-report/
Pope Francis Generation: Interview with Marcus Mescher on Moral Injury and Clerical Sexual Abuse
https://www.catholicthirdspace.com/p/marcus-mescher-moral-injury-and-clerical
Magnifica Humanitas
https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html
ABOUT THIRD SPACE: Third Space is the podcast for those who see the beauty of Catholicism, as well as the ugliness, who have experienced real harm AND real grace in the Church. Every episode I will have conversations with guests about the good and the bad in the Church—avoiding easy answers or black & white fundamentalism—in order to hold on to all that is true.
SUPPORT THIS SHOW: Please consider becoming a paid subscriber. All of your support directly helps my family and allows me to continue working on projects like this podcast, the newsletter, as well as resources about spiritual abuse in the Catholic Church.
www.catholicthirdspace.com
LIVING SOLIDARITY: Living Solidarity upholds the infinite dignity of every person by addressing the reality of spiritual abuse and abuse of conscience in the Catholic Church. Living Solidarity helps to build a Church of integrity and solidarity by accompanying survivors of spiritual abuse with trauma-informed life coaching; equipping Church leaders and institutions to confront systemic harm; and creating resources grounded in psychological research and the Church’s Social Teaching. Visit livingsolidarity.com to learn more, to connect with Paul, to schedule individual life coaching, or to invite Paul to speak or consult with your community, parish, seminary, or diocese.
ABOUT THE HOST: Paul Fahey is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor, retreat leader, and the host of the Third Space podcast. He provides counseling for those who have been spiritually abused and creates resources for Church leaders to better safeguard their communities against all forms of abuse. He previously worked for eight years as the Director of Religious Education at a Catholic parish. Paul Fahey lives in Michigan with his wife, Kristina, and their five kids.
