What gives someone the strength to endure unimaginable suffering without losing hope?

In this inspiring episode of Your Radical Truth, Deacon Margaret Mary O'Connor welcomes Australian author and retired physician Kate Clinch to explore the extraordinary life of Eileen O'Connor, Australia's second saint-in-waiting. Born with a debilitating illness that left her in constant pain, Eileen transformed her suffering into a life of compassion, co-founding Our Lady's Nurses for the Poor and dedicating herself to serving society's most vulnerable.

Kate also shares her own deeply personal journey, including a profound near-death experience and her battle with stomach cancer while writing her debut novel, Every Inch a Saint. What began as historical research became a source of strength, hope, and spiritual companionship during one of the most difficult seasons of her life.

Together, Margaret Mary and Kate explore faith, resilience, mysticism, miracles, the relationship between science and spirituality, and the enduring legacy of a woman whose courage continues to inspire more than a century after her death.

If you've ever wondered how suffering can lead to purpose, or how faith can sustain us through life's greatest challenges, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Listen now:
www.yourradicaltruth.com/056-kate-clinch

What is Opus Dei really like behind closed doors? Former member Anne-Marie Allen joins Deacon Margaret Mary O'Connor to share her powerful firsthand account of life inside one of the Catholic Church's most controversial organizations.

Anne-Marie, author of Serve! My Lost Years at the Heart of Ireland's Opus Dei, reveals how she was recruited into Opus Dei as a teenager, believing she was answering God's call. Instead, she found herself living under intense spiritual control, strict obedience, psychological manipulation, and a system that left little room for personal freedom.

In this thought-provoking episode of Your Radical Truth, Anne-Marie shares what daily life was like as an Assistant Numerary, the emotional toll of living in a high-control religious environment, and the difficult journey of leaving Opus Dei after years of conditioning.

Together, Anne-Marie and Deacon Margaret Mary explore questions many people have asked about Opus Dei, including its culture of secrecy, controversial practices, Vatican oversight, and why growing numbers of former members are now speaking publicly about their experiences.

Most importantly, this conversation examines the difference between authentic faith and systems that misuse religious authority. It offers hope for anyone recovering from religious trauma, spiritual abuse, or coercive control while encouraging greater transparency, accountability, and compassion within faith communities.

• What Opus Dei is and why it remains one of the Catholic Church's most debated organizations

• How Anne-Marie Allen was recruited into Opus Dei as a teenager

• What life was really like as an Assistant Numerary

• The psychological impact of spiritual abuse, fear, guilt, and religious manipulation

• The purpose of practices such as the cilice and corporal mortification

• Why leaving a high-control religious organization is far more difficult than simply walking away

• How Anne-Marie rebuilt her life, faith, and identity after leaving Opus Dei

• Recent Vatican reforms affecting Opus Dei and what they could mean for the future

• Why transparency, accountability, and listening to survivors are essential for healing

Whether you're interested in Opus Dei, the Catholic Church, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, church reform, faith, or survivor stories, this episode offers an honest, compassionate conversation about resilience, truth, and reclaiming one's life.

Visit www.YourRadicalTruth.com/055-Anne-Marie-Allen for more.

Excommunicated for Saying Yes to God: Father Anne, the Twelve Apostles, and the Future of Women's Leadership in the Church

What happens when a woman believes God has called her to the priesthood, but the Church says no?

In this thought-provoking episode of Your Radical Truth, Deacon Margaret Mary O'Connor welcomes Father Anne, a Roman Catholic woman priest who chose to follow what she believed was God's call, despite knowing it would lead to excommunication.

Together, they explore one of the most controversial issues in Christianity: the exclusion of women from ordained ministry. Father Anne examines the Church's longstanding argument that Jesus chose only twelve male apostles and offers a historical, biblical, and theological perspective that challenges many commonly held assumptions.

The conversation delves into the role of Mary Magdalene, the women who followed Jesus throughout his ministry, and the often-overlooked contributions women made in the earliest Christian communities. Father Anne also discusses how cultural attitudes toward women shaped Church teaching over the centuries and why she believes the conversation about ordination justice is far from over.

This episode is not simply about who stands at the altar. It is about equality, conscience, leadership, and the future of a Church that continues to wrestle with questions of authority and inclusion.

Whether you agree with Father Anne's position or not, this conversation will challenge you to think deeply about faith, tradition, and what it means to answer God's call.

Learn more: https://yourradicaltruth.com/054-father-anne/