Jasey Hartz, a flight attendant and self-proclaimed “halfolic” says that her mission is to figure out if and where she belongs in the Catholic church. She and Fr. Larry Hostetter host the local podcast Fighting Catholic Jetlag, addressing religious topics and hoping to stir community engagement in the discussions.
They’ll be doing a special live show titled Religion on the Rocks at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at The Pub on Second.
Hostetter and Hartz have been working together, along with Lauren McCrary and Rebeckah Sapp, on the podcast-based project since their first episode released on July 4 of this year.
Having grown up in Somerset, Hartz moved to Owensboro following a college stop at Western Kentucky University. Hartz detailed how the podcast idea came to life in the first episode, which is available on all major streaming platforms.
“The podcast all came about through conversations with my friend Rebeckah,” Hartz said. “In college, I took a confirmation class on the Catholic faith that addressed Catholicism in a way I’d never heard before, which helped me find my footing.”
When the two met, Hartz convinced Sapp to take a similar class.
“It was through this journey that we came to the decision that we wanted to create something similar to a confirmation class, but to do so in a way that we had the chance to talk about the issues and ideas we wanted to address,” Hartz said. “And just like that, the idea for the podcast was born.”
McCrary is another friend of Hartz, helping find the connection to Hostetter. McCrary is the Vice President of Executive Affairs and Chief of Staff at Brescia University, where Hostetter serves as President.
Hostetter’s role is to provide a steady hand and a resolute Catholic mind to a project that can tend to deal with the “turbulence” that comes about with a spiritual deconstruction.
“Lauren asked me if I knew of anyone who might be interested in taking up a project around topics of faith and doubt,” Hostetter said. “She was hinting around asking me if I was interested, and I was delighted to say yes as someone who’s been ordained for 34 years, because I think the Catholic church has a real problem with young people leaving the church right now.”
As the project began to come together, Sapp took up the role as podcast director. She is also responsible for organizing the live recording at The Pub on Second. McCrary said the opportunity came about through Hartz’ husband Ben.
“Ben is actually the nephew of Bill Brown,” McCrary said. “Bill is affectionately known as Uncle Buzz, and he’s the owner of The Pub on Second. Throughout this whole process Uncle Buzz has been so supportive and we are really thankful for an opportunity to connect with people who have been listening to the podcast in a live setting.”
Whether new to the podcast or a regular listener, there will be an opportunity to connect with Hostetter and Hartz via Q&A following the 45-minute live recording. The topics for Religion on the Rocks will range from a series of questions that have been emailed in from listeners throughout the first season, along with an intentional time of talking through Christmas traditions in the church and in individual families around the holiday season.
The event is free and the bar will be open for drinks at their normal prices. To learn more about the event as well as the podcast, find them on Facebook and Instagram at Fighting Catholic Jetlag.
