Our guest on this episode is Joey Pontarelli who is the founder and president of Restored, a ministry that helps teens and young adults who come from divorced or dysfunctional families heal and build virtue so they can avoid repeating that cycle and build a better life. Joey holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Franciscan University of Steubenville and an MBA from Benedictine College. Joey recalls growing up in a large Italian family with five boys and one girl. His early life was permeated with sports, whether he was goofing around with his siblings or playing an organized sport. He played club volleyball in college.

Around age 11, Joey’s life drastically changed when his parents separated and eventually divorced. He recounts the feelings, problems, and struggles he encountered during this time in his life.

Joey explains what changed in his life and how his return to God and the Church helped him. Joey felt there was a lack of resources for him when his parents divorced. After much prayer and spiritual direction, he felt called to start Restored. Joey is passionate about helping teens and young adults with resources which he highlights on the Restored website. The most popular resource on the Restored website is the podcast.

Other popular resources are a book entitled “It’s Not Your Fault” and a guide “7 Tips on Building a Thriving and Divorce-Proof Marriage”. These are only a few of many resources on the Restored website. Joey also talks about how sports is a great tool to help the healing process while building virtues necessary for healthy relationships.

Joey ends the podcast with practical advice for people who are, or were, in broken families and for people who are in intact families who want to help a friend who might be going through a difficult time in their family. If you find yourself anywhere on this continuum (that’s practically everybody), this podcast and Restored just might be for you.

Link: Restored - About — Restored

Resources discussed by Joey:

Jason Evert – author/speaker: Purified; Books by Jason Evert (Author of Saint John Paul the Great); Jason Evert - Wikipedia

Retreat: Lifegiving Wounds (Catholic), focus on adults whose parents were divorced: Life-Giving Wounds

Dr. Greg Bottaro – Catholic Psych Institute: Faith-Aligned Online Therapy at CatholicPsych Institute

Bob Schutts, PhD. – John Paul II Healing Center – Transformation in the Heart of the Church; Catholic Sportsman Show: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-h779y-16b68c3

Sr. Miriam: Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT - The GIVEN Institute

Fr. John Burns: Fr. John Burns - The GIVEN Institute

Leila Miller- author: Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak - https://a.co/d/4jRcz3C

Leila Miller: Impossible - Marriages Redeemed, They Didn’t End the Story in the Middle - https://a.co/d/fCXLIfu

Fr. Mike Schmitz: Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen - https://youtu.be/0NOTU1g0Z8w

Greg and Julie Alexander: authors - Marriage 911: How God Saved Our Marriage and Can Save Yours Too - https://a.co/d/clwhJxH

Alexander House: Hope & Healing for Marriage

#catholicsports, #childrenofdivorcedfamilies, #childrenhealingfromdivorce, #dontletdivorcewin

Josh Brooks is a seminarian in the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is our guest on this episode. Throughout his life, Josh has had a huge passion for basketball. He tried out for his high school team but didn’t make it, God had other plans for Josh. He was raised in the Baptist faith, and his parents sent him to Catholic school. While in a relationship with his girlfriend, Josh felt a call to the priesthood. He explains that being a priest is being set apart, and he feels called to that life.

Josh became Catholic and is now going into his fourth year of the seminary’s college program, then he will have four more years of theological studies prior to being ordained a priest. Along the way, Josh will continually be discerning his vocation… is God really calling him to the priesthood? Josh is blessed to have the support of his parents. Josh talks about what he likes most about being in the seminary and what he likes least. He explains the difference between the Ordinary Form of the Mass and the Extraordinary Form.

Josh hopes to use sports, especially basketball, as a tool in his ministry if God wills that he be ordained a priest. Josh ends the podcast with wonderful encouragement for both young men and women as they discern their vocations… married, priesthood, religious life, or a single consecrated life. As you listen to Josh humbly present his story, please offer a prayer for his vocation and all vocations, that we will all follow our Lord wherever He leads. Pray also that we follow the admonition of Jesus’s mother Mary to “do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).