🎧 Fr. Dave Pivonka, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, walked 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago as a thank-you for his priesthood — and almost didn't become a priest at all, since school was never his thing. In this episode, he and Liv Harrison talk pilgrimage, purpose, and what he's watching happen to a generation raised on screens.

They cover why he kept campus open (and free) for incoming students during COVID, the difference between loneliness and isolation, and why he thinks AI is quietly teaching kids to need it instead of each other. This one's for you if you've ever wondered whether a rough start disqualifies you from where you're headed. The LIVing Room is here for that question, too

Guest Bio:
Fr. Dave Pivonka is a Franciscan University of Steubenville alumnus and has served as the university's president since 2019. He was ordained a priest and worked at Franciscan from 1995 to 2008 before returning to lead the university, and he holds a doctorate; he is also the author of Hiking the Camino, a book on his 500-mile pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, which is being republished this September. Fr. Dave grew up in Durango, in southwest Colorado.

In This Episode
00:00 Her Son's Calling to the Camino
01:00 What Is the Camino, Actually?
03:00 Life on the Trail: Albergues, Bunk Beds, and Shared Meals
06:00 The Pilgrim's Shell and the Deeper Question of the Walk
08:00 Why He Wrote Hiking the Camino
10:00 Presence, Screens, and Missing the Person in Front of You
12:00 Was Fr. Dave Always Headed for the Priesthood?
14:00 Growing Up in Colorado (and a Grudge Against Texans)
15:00 Becoming President of Franciscan University in 2019
16:00 The COVID Semester: Keeping Students on Campus
18:00 What Fr. Dave Loves About This Generation
20:00 Letting 18-Year-Olds Make Mistakes
22:00 Is AI a Tool or a Crutch?
23:00 Loneliness vs. Isolation
25:00 The Story That Sums It Up: Passing the Class, Alone
27:00 Resurrection Parties and Building Real Community
29:00 Texas Banter (Comic Relief)
30:00 He Never Wanted to Be a University President
32:00 Blessed Stanley Rother: Failure, Then Sainthood
33:00 Closing Ask: Pray for Discernment

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