"I'm really grateful that (2020) pushed me into a level of...fearlessness that I didn't have before."

-Olga M. Segura

Season 3, Episode 3 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

IN THIS EPISODE:

Sister Julia Walsh talks with author Olga M. Segura about her journey into writing about the Black Lives Matter movement and how the experiences of 2020 gave her courage.

"God is someone who inspires, and God is someone who wants you to see the good that you can do, and I didn't truly believe that until 2020," Segura explains.

"I am afraid of being killed or losing a loved one every single day, and that is the thing that guides everything that I do. And I wanted this book and my work more broadly to show that to people," she says.

They also talk about Segura's mission, and what discipleship means to her. "I'm here to challenge the people with power, I'm here to challenge the gatekeepers, and really help our church become the universal community that it is not yet, but that it should be."

That discipleship leads directly to the mess, but Segura has found peace there. "I'm comfortable with understanding that you're not supposed to have all the answers. You're not supposed to know everything. You're not supposed to have the 'perfect faith.' This is a part of this journey," she explains.

"I think it's all messy. and I think it's all beautiful. And I think that I'm learning how to be okay with that," Segura says.

They also get real about what it means to be part of the Church that has an ugly and racist history--while being good and beautiful in other ways.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Olga Marina Segura is the opinion and culture editor at the National Catholic Reporter and the author of the newly-released book, "Birth of A Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church." Previously, she was an associate editor at America Media, where she wrote and solicited articles on race and culture. She is a co-founder and former co-host of the podcast, “Jesuitical.” Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, Latino Rebels, Shondaland, Sojourners, Refinery29, and The Revealer.

Prior to working at America Media, Olga was an intern at the Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations. She graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Italian Language and Literature. She speaks Italian and Spanish fluently and was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT:

The contemplative moment in this episode of Messy Jesus Business is taken from Ephesians 6:10-20. 

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at messyjesusbusiness@gmail.com

BE SOCIAL: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US: