Many people know Chase Carroll as the University of North Florida student whose question sparked one of the most talked-about exchanges with Christian apologist Frank Turek.

During a live "Change My Mind" event at UNF, Chase stepped to the microphone and asked a simple but provocative question: "Can Christianity exist without the Catholic Church?"

The conversation that followed quickly spread across YouTube, generating thousands of comments and attracting responses from both Catholic and Protestant apologists.

But this episode isn't about fourteen minutes at a microphone. It's about everything that came before.

Like David before Goliath, Chase's defining moment was preceded by years of formation, study, prayer, and a growing conviction that truth matters. Long before anyone knew his name, God was preparing him through ordinary moments that would eventually lead to an extraordinary opportunity.

In this episode of Ordinary Time, Chase shares the story behind the viral exchange, his reversion to the Catholic faith, the questions that shaped his intellectual journey, and the experiences that gave him the confidence to publicly defend what he believed.

The viral debate may be what introduced the world to Chase Carroll. This conversation reveals the deeper story of how God prepared him for that moment.

Is it really possible to be married to a Catholic priest? Yes, though it is a rare exception within the Roman Catholic Church.

In this episode of Ordinary Time, I sit down with Melissa Mayer to explore her family’s remarkable journey into Catholicism. Melissa and her husband, Fr. Phillip Mayer, both came from a Protestant and Anglican background before entering full communion with the Catholic Church.

After years in Anglican ministry, Fr. Mayer received a special dispensation from Pope Francis and was ordained a Catholic priest in 2019 through the Ordinariate, allowing him to remain married while serving as a Catholic priest.

Today, Fr. Mayer serves at St. James Catholic Church in Jacksonville, helping to build and shepherd a growing Catholic community.

Melissa, Fr. Mayer's wife, shares the story from her perspective, the theological questions, spiritual searching, sacrifices, fears, and graces that shaped their conversion.

The conversation also offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at family life with a Catholic priest, the mission of St. James, and a deeper understanding of the Ordinariate and its unique place within the Catholic Church.

In this episode of Ordinary Time, I sit down with Dr. Asher Chanan-Khan and his son Matthew for a powerful conversation about suffering, truth, and their unexpected journey into the Catholic Church.

Dr. Asher Chanan-Khan is a world-renowned blood cancer specialist who has spent decades advancing treatments for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. But after receiving his own terminal cancer diagnosis, he suddenly found himself facing the very suffering he had spent his life helping others endure.

At the same time, Matthew was walking through what he describes as a “dark night of the soul” following deep personal struggles and the impact of divorce. In the middle of that pain, he unexpectedly encountered Christ again after visiting a Catholic Church.

As Matthew began discerning Catholicism through OCIA, Dr. Asher attended alongside him — not because he wanted to become Catholic, but because he wanted to ensure his son was not being taught false doctrine.

What began as skepticism slowly became something much deeper.

Coming from a non-denominational background, much of what Dr. Asher believed about the Catholic Church was shaped by misunderstanding and criticism. But the deeper he looked, the more he encountered beauty, history, truth, and a faith that challenged everything he thought he knew.

One statement from Matthew especially stayed with him:

“If you want to have a serious, deep relationship with the Lord, then you go to the Catholic Church.”

That statement forced Dr. Asher to wrestle with a difficult question:

“If I believe this is true for my son… why would it not also be true for me?”

This is an honest and deeply moving conversation about suffering, fatherhood, faith, healing, and ultimately surrendering to Christ.

If this episode impacts you, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone searching for hope and truth.

#Catholic #ConversionStory #CatholicChurch #OCIA #Faith #JesusChrist