In this episode, I sit down with Father Joseph de Viveiros, a priest of the Congregation of the Resurrection and chaplain for the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. Father brings decades of pastoral experience—from directing liturgy for World Youth Day 2002 with John Paul II to now caring for his 94-year-old mother with dementia—and his insights on Lent cut straight through the surface-level stuff we’ve been getting wrong for years.

I’ll walk you through:

✅ Why Lent is about transformation, not willpower—and why the palms that become ashes hold the secret

✅ The two types of fasting nobody talks about—and why one of them you should never stop doing after Easter

✅ Why giving up chocolate is fine—but only if you’re filling that emptiness with what actually matters

✅ How fasting from evil (gossip, harsh words, judgment) is the real fast God wants from us

✅ Why Pope Francis is calling us to “disarm our language” this Lent—and what that looks like in practice

✅ The difference between suffering we create and suffering that just comes our way—and how both can be redemptive

✅ Why showing up matters more than you think—and what Father’s 94-year-old mother taught him about presence

✅ How we’ve become isolated in a hyperconnected world—and why getting to Mass is about becoming who you were made to be

Whether you’re trying to figure out what to give up for Lent, struggling with discipline in a world of endless comfort, or wondering why showing up to church even matters anymore, Father Joseph offers wisdom that’s grounded in real life, real suffering, and real transformation. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about conversion.

🔔 Remember: Fasting from things that are good creates space for God. But fasting from evil? That’s the fast you keep forever.

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Fr. Joseph de Viveiros’s relevant links: Instagram: @fr.josephcr Location: North Bay, ON Canada