FINDING GOD ON PARK STREET
Dive into the heart of the Catholic experience at Yale University with host Grace Klise, Director of Alumni Engagement at Saint Thomas More. In each episode, Grace and her student co-hosts engage in conversations with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members. Together, they discuss the nuances of living out the Catholic faith in today's world, culminating in the question, "Where have you found God?" This podcast offers a space to explore the intersection of spirituality, community, and education, providing listeners with personal insights and meaningful perspectives. Subscribe now to join the journey of discovery and connection.
FINDING GOD ON PARK STREET
Jack Barsody: A Life of Ora et Labora
At STM, we have the privilege of witnessing students integrate their individual passions, professional pursuits, and enduring faith. By following his heart and trusting in God, today’s guest has masterfully woven together his interests in healthcare, business, and ministry.
Meet Jack Barsody, a remarkable individual who graduated in May 2023 with dual degrees from Yale Divinity School, focusing on ethics, and the School of Public Health, specializing in healthcare management. Before heading out from New Haven to begin a new chapter working in Catholic healthcare in Spokane, WA, Jack generously took time to reflect on what led him to where he is now. Join host Grace Klise and her student co-host Mary Margaret Schroeder ‘24 as they discover how Jack stumbled upon this unique career trajectory and the exciting detours he encountered along the way. From bartending to powerlifting, and even time living in a monastery, Jack's stories are captivating and inspiring.
This is a podcast from Saint Thomas More, Yale's Catholic Chapel and Center. I'm your host, Grace Klise, with my student co-host, Mary Margaret Schroeder. Thanks for joining us on Finding God on Park Street. One of the best parts of my job at Saint Thomas More is getting to know students who bring their faith and the questions that faith demands with them into all different fields of study, whether that be politics, law, education or healthcare management, as is the case for today's guest. Jack Barsody graduated in May 2023 with joint degrees from Yale Divinity School, with a concentration in Ethics, and the School of Public Health, with a focus on healthcare management. Before he moved out to Spokane, Washington, to begin a job in Catholic healthcare, Jack was kind enough to join us to talk about the discovery of this career path and the fun he's had along the way, bartending, powerlifting, living in a monastery-- yeah, that one's a good story. Here's our conversation.
Jack Barsody:I always thought I was going to go to med school, that was something I always wanted to do, but then on my way through sort of the pre-med curriculum and undergrad I came across some like really strange ethical questions and situations and had a lot of professors that I don't think handled them very well. So I had a lot of these questions surrounding faith, medicine, ethics, and I took a couple theology courses in undergrad and ended up just really loving them and loving the material and found a lot of the questions that I was seeking they were also asking and trying to answer. So I picked up a theology major as well on top of my pre-med major, and then a lot of my theology faculty were actually YDS grads themselves, so had gone to grad school here and had a lot of really good things to say and were sort of pushing me in this direction as I came to the end of my undergrad career. So I applied and ended up getting into the Divinity School to study ethics. And then that's when I noticed that Yale has this really unique joint degree program where you can study a master's program at the Divinity School and at another one of the schools and graduate in three years. And that's where I noticed the Public Health and Healthcare Management program, which is also a really great program here.
Jack Barsody:So once I figured out that I was able to have that really unique combination, I applied and got into both and I took a year off between undergrad and grad, which we can talk about later, but then ended up here at the School of Public Health and, funny enough, when I showed up here that's right when COVID hit.
Jack Barsody:So I applied like back in 2019, so before COVID, and then it all happened while I was like getting into school. So I spent pretty much my first year here online, which kind of leads me to how I got and found myself with STM. I honestly didn't really know about STM too much before I got here because I wasn't able to visit. I had never really seen New Haven before, before I moved here. But then started looking a little more of like, you know, where's there a Catholic church around me and started getting some emails and really just sort of plugged myself into the STM ecosystem a little bit. And it was interesting because that whole first year was online. So I didn't set foot in the Golden Center until my second year, but really just loved it as soon as I did.
Grace Klise:I wasn't on staff at that time, but I have heard so many stories from that year when the community was online and virtual and not able to come in our doors and just knowing how alive the place is every day with students and community members. It's hard to imagine. But for both of you, your first years involved in the St Thomas More community were online. When did you two meet during that first year? Was it in some Zoom call in September?
Mary Margaret Schroeder:It was. We were both on a Zoom call for Catholic Relief Services, which now we have the great honor of getting to lead. But I believe that's got to be the first time we met. I didn't know too much about you, Jack, and you were a grad student at STM and I would see you on all these Zooms. And it wasn't until we had a Zoom meeting doing our cooking, our Lenten cooking class, making like black bean soup.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:We were all in our like kitchens working on it and Jack was in the same kitchen as Hallie, who I now know is his wife. However, she, for so far as I knew at the time, she was just the campus minister at Albertus Magnus who is leading up the charge on their campus. I had no idea you guys even knew each other and I was just so shocked to see you in the same kitchen. I was like, oh, that's so cool. They must have become good friends through CRS. So I messaged June, our prior president of Catholic Relief Services at Yale, and I was like, oh my gosh, hey, did you know that Jack and Hallie know each other? And she was funny like Mary Margaret, they are engaged and that was like the biggest shock to my system, I was like gosh Jack, how exciting. And then we got to spend plenty more hours on CRS Zooms throughout that next semester.
Jack Barsody:Yeah, yeah, and that's how I remembered too. I think it definitely started with some Zoom calls and it was funny because, so my wife, Hallie, also moved to New Haven at the same time and was a campus minister at Albertus and advising their CRS group. So when we first all started meeting on Zoom, we like didn't say right away that we were engaged, and after that first meeting you can't bring it up later.
Jack Barsody:So the whole time we're like when and you didn't, yeah, we didn't, it was the whole year. We're like when is a good time to bring this up, that we're engaged? So it wasn't until the very end, which is very funny with that. Just a little soft release, hard launch.
Jack Barsody:At the Zoom events.
Grace Klise:So theology is, then, a love for both you and Hallie, and I'm guessing that continues to be an anchor in your relationship. Do you want to talk a little bit about that, about growing in faith now as a as a married person?
Jack Barsody:Yeah, so Hallie and I, so we actually met in undergrad. We were both part of the theology department, which was really fun. Funny enough, we never had a class together our whole time. She's a year older than me, so we, but we just kind of like overlapped in a bunch of different other ways and, yeah, I think, being both of us studying theology so she got her master's in theology from Boston College and I'm here at YDS, it has been really interesting sort of unpacking a lot of this as we've grown older.
Jack Barsody:We both studied in in very different schools but have really found like a lot of in the the things that we're studying. And, honestly, my favorite part is like our conversations have just gotten deeper and deeper over the years. Like I remember what, what we talked about back in undergrad, like from our classes, and then what we talked about now has just been really wonderful to see and also to kind of, you know, to move through so the dating process and then you know, being engaged and getting married, realizing that we were both sort of on the same page the entire way, if that makes sense. They both kind of had these like same goals and aspirations and we're constantly talking about it and talking about these, these bigger issues as well. I think really was great for our relationship. Just having like a really good base of communication and being able to talk about these really often heavy topics was was a great place to start.
Grace Klise:You had to be able to grow in faith and understanding together throughout that time, in different states and schools and programs, but you did have a stop at a monastery for a time right before marriage.
Grace Klise:Was that part of vocational discernment, or was that something that you were drawn to for a different reason?
Jack Barsody:Oh, I gotta be a little careful how I answer this one. I guess Hallie's not here so I can. Yeah, I mean, I think.
Jack Barsody:So, to rewind all the way back to, so I grew up in in central Minnesota, in a pretty rural parish, but it was attached to, in Minnesota. It was Crosiers have have a have a Monastery there. So my whole time growing up I went to church at a different monastery essentially. So I didn't know what a diocesan priest was until I was in college. No joke, because whenever I went to Mass there was, you know, a dozen priests and monks at every Mass. I'm like what do you mean? You know there's only one priest for church. So I think I was always kind of formed in like sort of a monastic setting and I went to St John's University in Minnesota, which at one point was the largest Benedictine monastery in the country and it's still very large. So big Benedictine monastic influence, that sort of, you know, the theology that I studied and the spirituality that I have is is very thoroughly Benedictine. And they have this unique program called the Benedictine Volunteer Corps at St John's where graduating seniors can take a year to live in a monastery somewhere throughout the world and do some kind of service. Really depends, you know, if you're in Israel, you're doing more like farm type labor, if you're in Kenya, you're really like helping build part of the monastery.
Jack Barsody:But I chose to go to the only domestic location, which was in downtown Newark, New Jersey, and the reason that I picked that location was Newark Abbey. They run the school called St Benedict's prep, which is a fully funded private school like right in the heart of Newark for the residents of Newark, entirely funded by donations. And if you don't know much about Newark, it's a pretty rough city around the edges. It has been for a while, I believe. The high school graduation rate is somewhere around like 70%, but these monks have ran this school for decades and the results that the school has are just absolutely astounding. They have like a 99% graduation rate. They send students to Ivy Leagues every year. There's a subset of students who have really rough home lives that live at the school almost like it's a boarding school, and the monks, like you know, really give them a routine, a lot of love, but a lot of discipline as well, and to sort of just like watch these young men be in this place that you know they come from really rough backgrounds. It gives them a lot of formation and a lot of structure and they just absolutely succeed in wonderful ways. So I went there for an entire year and yeah, it was a really interesting experience.
Jack Barsody:You know, to graduate undergrad, you know you're kind of living your own life, doing whatever you want, especially in the springtime, and then to go and sort of form myself to this monastic routine was, I mean, it was really difficult at first. Benedictines live like a very structured life of prayer. They're getting up at 5: 30 every single morning, seven days a week, praying five times a day, and as volunteers we weren't expected to maybe go to all of their prayers, but at least like two per day. You know the the meals are very structured they eat in silence, there's silence, you know, breakfast, dinner and then from 8 pm to 8 am the next morning. So you know from someone coming, you know, right from the world, they can be a bit of a shock, but really find myself falling in love with that monastic routine. It is difficult but sort of, as you like, form yourself and form your will to this routine. You really see kind of what's behind it.
Jack Barsody:The rule of St Benedict has been around for I think 1700 years, and people have been living it ever since, and you sort of realize you know why that is. He wrote this like very difficult- to- follow rule, but really the the purpose behind it is to live in community with others and to and to search for God. And even if there's times where you might wonder you know, why are we doing this? Or like why is this so difficult, you think of all the people who have come before you that have lived this rule and all the people around you who are also living it and really found it to be like one of the most like authentic forms of community that I've ever lived. So, yeah, I treated that, I was dating Hallie the entire time, but really treated it as a sort of discernment year. It's something I thought of a lot. I'd spent weekends and monasteries before and really like loved the year that I had. Funny enough, that actually got not ruined by COVID, but sort of affected by COVID as well.
Jack Barsody:My last few months I was living in the monastery and that's kind of COVID hit hit and Newark is right next to New York City, so when New York City was, you know, really seemed it was really crazy what was happening over there, like everything was totally shut down. Our monastery, especially due to the age of the monks, was pretty much totally closed as well, and they told me right when COVID was hitting, that "hey, if you want to stay, you're more than welcome to stay, or you can leave, it's up to you. But if you go out of the monastery, you you know you won't be allowed to come back in, like our members are too old and too vulnerable, and I chose to stay. So they shut the doors of the monastery in March and I did not set foot outside for three more months.
Jack Barsody:Lived the the full routine. I went to all the prayers, I went basically did everything with these guys and I was still teaching on the side, you know remotely a little bit, because that's the world that we were in. But, yeah, really like found that to be really rewarding, of like sort of the whole world is just melting, you know, down outside of the monastery, but I was in this little enclave that I got to live in and live this really strict routine every day and absolutely loved it.
Grace Klise:Do you feel like you've been able to incorporate elements of that monastic life into your time here in New Haven?
Jack Barsody:Honestly I would have to say no, which is unfortunate. But I sort of like hit a very like fun spiritual period after like a lot of hard work. You know, I was praying five times a day, roughly three hours a day, and then really thought that I had like some spiritual breakthroughs which were amazing. But then you leave the monastery and you can't pray five times a day for three hours a day. So I think it took me a long time to sort of get past the, the feeling that like I was spiritually dry or that like I'd sort of like left my spiritual peak behind me. And sometimes it still does feel that way of, you know, I don't feel the way that I did when I was in the monastery, but I mean, I guess there are smaller ways that I really do,
Jack Barsody:you know, take it into account, I think, especially when, you know, grad school and life gets really, really hectic, I am pretty good at finding my peace, like finding a place to sit in the center. And sort of realizing that, you know, the things that I'm doing are not always the most important things in my life. I think a really great part about Benedictine spirituality is they really balance prayer and work, and they work quite a bit as well. But you know, even in the middle of the work day, if the bells ring for prayer, they set down what they're doing, they go, they pray and they come back and pick up their work. And I think that that is a very valuable lesson that I've tried to take in my life that I think a lot of other people could as well. You sort of realize how difficult it is, you know, when your entire community isn't leaving at the same time to go pray. But I think really to understand that balance and to sort of have that stability in your entire life is very valuable.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:Jack, first off, I think you picked a great state to go spend a year in. I bet you got a little bit of a glimpse of this monastic life when you went on your Alternative Spring Break trip over this past year. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience, because I know you had some similar lack of technology, no watches, no clocks or anything, operating with bells. What was that like, and did that give you kind of a memory back into what your life was like with the Benedictines?
Jack Barsody:Yeah, Grace could talk about this as well. So our Alternative Spring Break this year was at a place called Nazareth Farm in West Virginia and, yeah, lots of parallels to monastic life. It's a very like unique Christian community where people all live in very intentional community. This place in West Virginia like their mission that they did was home repair and community building in the surrounding community in Appalachia, which I'd never been to and it was a very you know, a part of the country that is very much forgotten. So to get to go into this organization that, like very intentionally, you know, sort of sees the people that are forgotten and spends time with them and helps them in any way that they can, I think I forget who had said it when I was there, but you know a lot of the work they do can often seem like, you know, a drop in the bucket of the poverty of Appalachia, but it's not about, you know, making a macro level difference. It's about, like being in community and helping the people around you, building up the area that you're in.
Jack Barsody:But yeah, I mean a lot of parallels to monastic life. First of all, they took away, I mean they didn't have service, so it doesn't matter if you had your phone or not, but you're supposed to put your phone away, take your watches off you know, not really know the time or the schedule for the rest of the day and really sort of like surrender that part of yourself which was very, I don't know, Grace, if you thought it was very difficult, you know, when we first got there.
Grace Klise:Yes, I found it very difficult.
Grace Klise:There was something that one of the staff members said that I have continued to think about as we've returned to New Haven and to campus, which is very fast-paced.
Grace Klise:The staff member said "let us take on the burden of your schedule this week, which I, as a kind of a type A person I've always loved a schedule and I've thought, oh, this is what will make me the most productive and give me the most peace, because I'm getting done the things that I need to get done. But actually realizing that schedules can be a burden and to-do lists and to, as you said, jack, to surrender to that for the week and to say I'm going to be present to the moment in front of me, the face in front of me, and not worry about what is coming next. And it was as difficult as it was, it was a real gift because we were only there for a week and then we come back to schedules that are very demanding that we have to be held accountable to. So that was something that really that struck me and I've tried to think about. As difficult as it is to incorporate then back into life here, to be present to that person in front of us.
Jack Barsody:Yeah, I definitely resonate with, I mean as a bit of a planner myself, we think of every day has to be arranged for maximum efficiency, or it's like if you think of yourself as wasting time or like, oh, I could have done this better or differently, you're really upset with yourself, I didn't get as much done today as I should have. In places like Naz Farm or places like the Monastery really change your reference in that it's not about exactly how much you get done today, more like what is the manner of you doing it and how are you affecting the people around you? The thought that you could maybe forego getting something done, that you maybe should have to just spend a little more time with community members or with people, is much more important in those settings, and I think that's very hard, you're right, to take out of those places and bring back to New Haven, but we try our best.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:Are there specific things that you guys have found helpful in your return back to New Haven and schedules and trying to keep your mindset where it was on Naz Farm?
Grace Klise:Something, Jack, that I've noticed you do with the grad community is those Wednesday morning call to prayer. You'll do Liturgy of the Hours on Wednesday morning, which I think is a beautiful way to start the day. It reminds me again of the time in the monastery and then at Naz Farm we would start each day with prayer and close each day with prayer, and then prayer would be incorporated into the rest of the day. So I think, looking for opportunities to do that, I think exactly what Jack said to not evaluating or reflecting on a day in terms of efficiency, but more how present have I been to people. Again, it's very difficult, but I think it's, it actually speaks to the truth of who we are and for what we were created.
Grace Klise:And then so much of our time in Naz Farm was also growing more aware of what we use and what we waste, and that is something that I continue to think about. Even though I'm sitting here drinking a plastic water bottle, I did have the thought that, oh, I shouldn't do this, I would never have done this when I was at Naz Farm. So I think, just those little reminders, it's been helpful to think about those, and it's also helpful to see those we went on the trip with because there's a shared memory there within the community here in New Haven.
Jack Barsody:Yeah, I think branching off, that definitely a renewed sense of sustainability. We talk about this as we were drinking our plastic water bottles. But I saw a lot of parallels between Naz Farm and the monastery of a lot more simple living, and I think we all struggle with getting caught up with consumerism often, but to really see an alternative model of how people live. Remember at Naz Farm people wore the same or very similar clothes almost every single day and the world didn't burn down. You saw someone wear the same pants all week or things like that. So I've really tried to incorporate even very small things like that. And do I need these things? Can I live a little more simply? What are some ways to bring that into your everyday life?
Jack Barsody:And I'm just reminded of in the monastery I would help out some of the older monks with some tasks that they couldn't do, and I remember one monk in particular asked me to come help clean his room out because he said it was getting way too cluttered and he needed to get some things out of there.
Jack Barsody:And I walked in. It looked like a hotel room, like the most Spartan room I've ever seen, and he opens up like his tiny closet and he has like two coats and like a box of trinkets and he's like I just need to get rid of these. Like my life is like way too complicated with these things and obviously, like living in a monastery is one extreme of like this simple living and being sustainable. But to really see people do it, and see people that have lived that life for decades and decades, really gives me pause. Before I purchase something now and I don't know if I'm gonna hang out of that forever, but I really hope I do in that like yeah, do I like really need these things? You know, is it gonna be all right if people see me wear the same shirt, you know, twice a week? Things like that. Like do I need multiple of them? So yeah, just very small things like that.
Grace Klise:Have you two in your work with Catholic Relief Services, are there either events from the last couple of years working together or initiatives that remind you of some of these same themes of caring for those who are neglected or forgotten and incorporating elements of Catholic social teaching into how we live out our faith?
Mary Margaret Schroeder:Yeah, definitely. I'd say what first comes to mind is thinking about advocacy with the Farm Bill, which is what our main piece of legislature that we were trying to promote this past year has been. So we had some meetings with our state representatives throughout the year and had different events. We had a Gratitude and Guac in the fall, where we were writing gratitude letters to people in our lives and also writing advocacy letters for this bill, which would give support to farmers and really uphold the work that they're doing in order to get people the food that they need, both domestically right in the US, but also abroad in a bunch of,
Mary Margaret Schroeder:there was a range of countries that were especially impacted by this type of work. And just seeing the impact that one farmer has
Mary Margaret Schroeder:when we were doing this research on how this bill impacts each and every one of us, even though when we were first looking at it, I was like, "oh yeah, this is definitely important, but I don't know how much I'm affected by this as somebody who's not living on a farm and eating straight from the ground but you see that it really does impact all aspects of life and things like that that it's like, gosh.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:this is really important that we make sure that this is being upheld, not only for the farmers who are going to be doing the work on the ground, but it goes so much further than that. So I think that was a good reminder of, gosh, these actions really do have consequences, and it's important for us to take the very small steps that we can here at New Haven to try to make that impact locally and hopefully see it go global. And I think that's one of my favorite parts of CRS and something that we've talked about quite a bit, Jack, of how it's something that is both right here in our backyard but also impacts people all over the world. And what really matters is each person taking a small step in whatever way that they can to make this impact. So I think it's been especially beneficial having the Farm Bill be our focus this year and thinking about the impact that that has and then, therefore, what steps we can take to make that happen.
Jack Barsody:Yeah, I definitely agree.
Jack Barsody:One thing that's really struck me over the past couple of years working with CRS is they have really great materials as far as like a lot of videos, a lot of like handouts, and they're really good at showing exactly what they do in certain countries, not just like, oh, we're giving food aid, but like what type of food aid, how's it being set up?
Jack Barsody:And I think one thing that's really striking to me about CRS is they really try to holistically solve problems. They do quite a bit of temporary food aids, like emergency situations, of bringing people food, but a lot of what they do is to like really set up very like sustainable, long-term programs of new crops, microsavings accounts, things like that, that are both good for the environment. They try to pick things that like fit the area that people are in, but also that if CRS left that, these programs would be self-sustaining. So when supporting CRS or when looking at their mission, you're not just like giving money to buy food for people, which is also great, but a lot of their mission is like yeah, how can we set up sustainable systems and dignified systems for these people to, you know, to be able to help them now but eventually get them to a point of self-sufficiency, and I think that is great.
Grace Klise:Yeah, you guys have been very busy with CRS. I have gone to a few of the events and love getting the updates and I think it's really important as the Catholic Center at Yale that we not only are trying to cultivate faith lives amongst our students, but also to to work with students and work with the local community in saying how can we create a world that is more just and that is aligned with the principles of Catholic social teaching. So, yeah, really grateful for all the work that you have done the last few years with CRS in our community. Now I know, Jack, outside of STM, outside of your classes, outside of home life with Hallie, there are some other things you're involved in, including serving as a bartender and also powerlifting. Can you tell us about some of the other things that you've gotten involved in on campus or in New Haven in your few years here?
Jack Barsody:Yeah, you know it's interesting because for me being here at Yale, you know, first year being entirely COVID, everything was remote, no one was meeting at all. It really has seemed like a whirlwind in the past two years of like. I don't know, Mary Margaret, if you feel the same way like the campus is really like, I'd like, is blossoming the only word for it, you know? It's kind of like once people could go out and do things like people were just so interested in like doing everything you know. But yeah, a couple of things that I've been a part of is I bartended at the Well, which is the first on campus bar at Yale, and I have a great time.
Jack Barsody:It's mostly Yale- affiliated people that go, you know, grad students, undergrad, some professors, but to really just sit down and chat with, you know, people at this university from all different backgrounds has been really great. To sort of get me out of my bubble a little bit and, honestly, to do a job that really just involves talking with people and not really thinking that hard, is great. You know there's a lot of days that I really look forward to going to work because it's like, you know, I've been reading all day, I've been by myself all day and now it's like I get to sit behind a bar and like chat with people and hang out and serve drinks, and I just find that to be often a really good break. That is very needed. And also, just, I've bartended a bunch at a bunch of different places, like working the service industry a lot, and I've just taken so many lessons from it and I think just, not just how to talk to people, but also like how I treat people in the service industry.
Jack Barsody:Everyone says it, but I do think it's a job that everyone should have at some point, just as a little life experience, so that you know what it's like to be on the other side. Yeah, I guess the other group that I'm involved in is the Yale Powerlifting Club, which has been really fun and I think also to balance against, there's a lot of runners at STM. You know a lot of people into running, two of them sitting at the table with me. You know it was a group that started. You know, basically just two students came together and were like, hey, we should start a Yale Powerlifting Club and then went to three or four and then I came in when it was maybe like half a dozen people. It's like very like roughly set up, but now I think the club unofficially has like 250 people.
Grace Klise:Wow.
Jack Barsody:Yeah, our first, we do mock meet every semester, the first mock meet had like maybe a dozen competitors and this last one there was like about 50 of us competing in weightlifting. So yeah, it's been very fun. I mean, I've kind of competed in athletics my entire life, weight lifted my entire life, but this is my first time like doing, you know, competitive weightlifting and it is very much like a sport and a discipline and sort of learn. That aspect of things was really great. I mean, it's sort of a different kind of athletics where you know you're used to doing something for a sustained amount of time. This is sort of like getting yourself in the right mindset and preparing in such a way that you can put out your absolute maximum effort for one single repetition. And this is very different and like you have to get into a very different mental state to be able to do that.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:Gosh, Jack, that's really cool. And I think Jack's too humble to say this, but not only is he on the powerlifting team, he is the best person on the powerlifting team and consistently wins their meets and breaks all these crazy PRs. I'm wondering, Jack, like how are you able to find God in powerlifting, and are there different ways that you see parallels with your spiritual life in that type of discipline or any other ways that you see God while you're doing that?
Jack Barsody:Yeah, I mean, I think first is just, and I think you'd both know this as well, I think you have a great appreciation, sort of when you work out or like when you're taking part in these endeavors, you have a great appreciation for sort of your body and what you can do. You sort of don't take it near as much for granted as I feel like you do other days. You're sort of like I'm doing this like very difficult, hard thing and you're very like in tune and aware of yourself. I also find like the discipline of weightlifting to be a great time for prayer and meditation and that, like you know, you're putting out these like very difficult sets and sort of like pushing yourself right up to your limit.
Jack Barsody:But then you have a couple minutes of downtime before your next one where you're just kind of like sitting and waiting and I found that to be a very, I like to work out pretty early in the morning, I usually start at six and go to like eight, so to be able to, you know, kind of be putting out this maximum effort and then resting., sometimes I slip into like a bit of a Zen state. You know where you're like, you know it's coming next. You're like very focused on it, but also like a little bit transcendent. I don't know, do you, do you pray while you run or do you feel that presence in running?
Grace Klise:Yes, very much so, and my mind just starts doing Hail Mary's, I start doing the Rosary. But it is a very meditative time in my day, especially when running through East Rock Park or out on a beautiful rural road north of New Haven. It is so easy to feel God's presence. And for me it's also when I'm hurting or when I maybe don't want to do the workout. I am really able to think about people for whom I want to pray, who would do anything to be able to move their body in that way. So it's really been a way for me to to offer my pain and my suffering up for, for people in need. But then, yeah, all of a sudden I'm like in the middle of a Hail Mary and I'm like how did I start saying this? So I, over the years it wasn't always like that. It's taken me a long time to be able to enter into that, that space. When I'm running by myself, it's different in a group. How about for you, Mary Margaret?
Mary Margaret Schroeder:Yeah, agreed, I think some of my favorite runs, especially recently, have been in the Grove Street Cemetery, going up and down the rows and just praying a Rosary and like thinking about all of the bodies buried there and lifting up my own prayer intentions.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:There's one gravestone that I pass every single time and it's my very favorite one. The only thing written on it is "other's grave and the rest of it is blank, and it's next to all of these other gravestones that have name, years, like birthday, death day and like all, like a whole biography basically written on this headstone. But that one is so simple and it just says a mother's grave, and when I am able to pray a Hail Mary when I run past there, it just brings me so much peace and thinking about that and my prayer intentions has been, yeah, one of my favorite runs I've done recently. But I think, like you said, just generally anytime when I'm running, especially when it's harder, I think every time I raise I'm holding a rosary ring and when things get not feeling good, I think it's comforting to know that I've got something to turn to. That brings me outside of myself and helps remind me of the gift it is to just be able to be doing what we're doing.
Grace Klise:Yeah, kind of bringing monastic life into sport, which is really neat.
Jack Barsody:Do you find sort of the offering up of suffering to get sort of like easier and more difficult, or does it take practice? I'm thinking back in my life. There's been times when I have thought I am going to offer up the suffering. And then I start suffering and it's like, wow, this sucks and I can't think of anything else besides how painful this is. So yeah, I'm wondering is that like a practice that you've gotten into or how have you got to that point?
Grace Klise:For me, it's definitely been a practice that I have worked on over time, but it's often before competition, I will bring those people to mind. Or I've run marathons where I have them written on my arm or written on my bib, so a real visible reminder to me when I am suffering. But I agree, when you get deep into the pain cave it's hard to think of anything else. How about for you, Mary Margaret?
Mary Margaret Schroeder:There is one race I did on Holy Saturday that was very hilly and especially difficult in terms of the actual course and that I think was the most aware I've been of the suffering I was experiencing and connecting that to the cross and trying to just give that up, and I had all the Stations of the Cross written on me and I was trying to pray through them while I was running and that helped me bring it more to focus. But you're right, I think sometimes it can be difficult when you're in the thick of it. But I think honestly I usually get to the point where I'm like, well, like nothing else is going to be helpful to me right now, like the worst that can happen is I still feel like I'm in a lot of pain. But usually when I'm able to try to offer it up, I start to feel at least a little more consolation in that sense.
Jack Barsody:Yeah, and I don't know I'm sure this is the same in running too, of, a spiritual practice in these endeavors take a very long time, like with powerlifting, with weightlifting, I could train something very hard for nine months, day in, day out, and then I'll maybe add 20 pounds to my bench press or 30 pounds.
Jack Barsody:So you really have to sort of like internalize that and also like live a lifestyle where that is possible, where you're like you know I'm going to show up every day and I'm going to do the right things and I'm not going to see progress month after month, but in the end I will. Like
Jack Barsody:the spiritual practice I find from that is that I have to live my life the same way every day for a very long time to see results. Like I get up, I work out, I pray, I do these things and day to day, week to week, you may not notice a difference, but it's really just being in this mentality of like this is the lifestyle that I'm choosing to live, regardless of what I'm seeing results, and I think you have to be able to draw joy from that as well. You know, if you're absolutely miserable doing it every day, you're probably not going to stick with it. So it's like kind of like finding yourself in this space that might be like a little bit uncomfortable, or pushing yourself a little bit, and just sort of like living in that day in and day out. I think it's very powerful.
Grace Klise:Yeah, I think so too. Speaking of what you'll be doing, or what one is doing day in and day out, can you tell us a little bit about what you'll be doing after graduation?
Jack Barsody:Yeah, so I think I might be one of the few people that is sort of leaving grad school, going to be doing what I thought I'd be doing coming in. That's not very common. Most people switch, which, is which is completely fine, but yeah, so next year I am going to be an administrative fellow for Providence Health on the West Coast. I'll be based in the Spokane, Washington office. So coming into Yale I had really wanted to work for Catholic healthcare, Catholic nonprofit healthcare. It's a topic that I find extremely interesting. I would love to work in sort of the mission, the ministry, the spiritual care, the ethics department. It's sort of broken up differently.
Jack Barsody:What's really unique about Catholic healthcare in America is, I'm not sure how many people realize this, but out of the top 10 largest health systems in the US, I believe six are Catholic. So when you just look at size and scope, Catholic healthcare really dominates America. I think something like 40% of Americans receive healthcare at a Catholic health system every single year, which is astounding if you think of it, of the size of the ministry that healthcare has and sort of like the untapped potential that is there that all these people are stepping into this, you know, professively, Catholic space and receiving healing care and leaving. I find that to be a really powerful place or a really powerful space. So next year, so I'll be an administrative fellow next year. So essentially it's a bit of a leadership training program and kind of working with the CEO's office for the next year, learning, trying out different departments and then with hopes of sliding into like somewhere in the mission or ethics department after that. It is really interesting in that you know these organizations are so large but they are businesses as well, so sort of being on both sides of things that you know you're in this like very powerful place where healing is happening and serving everyone that walks through the door.
Jack Barsody:That's like a big part of Catholic healthcare is that they don't turn anyone away from receiving care. I think Providence last year did, it was a few billion dollars in charity care. You know, a few billion dollars in care that they gave to people that they'll never be compensated for. So you have that on one side and that is a laudable goal is to treat everyone. And then on the flip side you have to figure out how are you going to pay. You know to take care of everyone. I think that's a really interesting space of, you have the faith based side and sort of the practical side coming up together and like what is the best way to sort of integrate these two things? How do they say it? There's no mission if there's no margin. So in the sense of, like you know, how do they continue this mission that they've had for years and decades moving into the modern world, when things just get more and more complex and more complicated?
Grace Klise:Well, I'm just thinking of you saying in college, that's when you first had some questions or were intrigued by the concept of ethics in medicine, and now, so many years later, that this is something you have dedicated this part of your career to. What are you most looking forward to about this job?
Jack Barsody:Oh, that, yeah, that's really interesting. I think Catholic health care is at a bit of an interesting crossroads as well where, especially in the mission side of things you know, most Catholic health systems were started by orders of sisters, of nuns back in the day, even like Trinity here on Waterbury, Connecticut, you know, started by a group of nuns, essentially went to the bishop and said hey, we love to start a hospital, can you give us a little money to start it? And they built the place and ran it themselves. These hospitals sort of aggregated over time. You know form systems, like Providence was the Sisters of St Joseph. All these different hospitals came together into these big conglomerates.
Jack Barsody:But now, with the way religious life is moving in the United States, these sisters are at the very end of their careers and are starting to retire and there's this huge need that is now being replaced with lay people.
Jack Barsody:So for me to kind of step into this role, a lot of positions I'm looking at, you know, three to five years down the line is like oh, this is Sister So-and-so, she's done this for 60 years, she's been the mission and ministry person for 60 years.
Jack Barsody:So it leaves some pretty big shoes to fill for the people going into this field and also a lot of it to sort of speak to,
Jack Barsody:I think, the benefits that can sort of come from this turnover is that, especially like my generation, the generation coming in, we solve problems very differently than previous generations. Did you never think of using things like like data or like data analytics in like the mission and ministry side of things before? But now you can sort of look and, like you know, objectively evaluate like how well are these hospitals like meeting these metrics for caring for the whole person, that we want to be doing these surveys and sort of like, it seems a little strange to attach like data ideas to these spiritual care, but really like, if you're not able to like measure and improve these processes, you know it's going to sort of fall by the wayside. So I guess kind of what I'm most excited for is to be able to step into these spaces and sort of see where can I make a change and sort of move things into like the more modern role that that makes sense.
Mary Margaret Schroeder:Yeah, Jack, that's great. I know we will certainly miss you at STM, but I know that your legacy will live on in all of our hearts, and I'm feeling especially inspired by all the ways that you've been able to incorporate your faith into all the things that you do, from your work in healthcare, to advocacy, to powerlifting, and really everything in between. So I'm wondering, as we are wrapping up this episode, we like to ask all of our guests, where have you been finding God recently? I know you've been finding him in many places, but is there anything specific you'd like to share with us?
Jack Barsody:Where have I been finding God recently?
Jack Barsody:This is the first year that I really made use of the Meditation Room at St Thomas More, and this is going to sound really cliche, because I'm going to find God in the Meditation Room, but really just the discipline or the practice of in the middle of my day, with things going on,
Jack Barsody:when I pass by the Meditation Room, I try to at least step in for a few minutes and sort of like take a breath and take a moment and see where that leads me in some silence. And yeah, I think lately, with how crazy things have been, to really just like in the middle of your day to stop taking intentional few minutes in somewhere very quiet and just try to listen for God, has been a practice that I found very, very fruitful lately, and sometimes you don't always hear God in that space and like that's okay as well, but I think there is definitely something in sort of like taking those few minutes out of your day, taking a deep breath, calming down a moment and then going on with the rest of your day that I found to be very fruitful as things get crazy.
Grace Klise:Thanks, Jack, for all you've done for the STM community and who you've been to that community over the last couple of years, and thanks for coming on the podcast today and for all those listening. Thanks for joining. We'll see you next time. If you enjoyed listening today, please share this episode and leave us a rating and review. The producer of this podcast is Robin McShane, director of communications at STM. Sound mixing and editing are by Ryan McAvoy of Yale Broadcast Studio and graphics are by Mary Lou Cadwell of Cadwell Art Direction. We hope this podcast encourages you to seek God's presence in your everyday life. Thanks for listening and be assured of our prayers.
