By Sister Beth Murphy, OP
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The new Springfield Dominican Sisters’ podcast series, F.L.O.W.cast, is streaming now at https://flowcastlisten.podbean.com. You can also visit https://flowcastlisten.org to subscribe and receive each new episode in your inbox every Thursday.
F.L.O.W.cast is meant to be welcoming to a younger audience that appreciates intergenerational conversation and an eclectic mix of inspiring stories about the sisters’ lives and ministry.
Each week, one-to-one conversations and roundtable discussions with Springfield Dominican Sisters, coworkers and associates are meant to acquaint listeners with the lives and ministry of the sisters and share stories about how they are changing lives in hopeful ways.
“From the day our first sisters landed in Jacksonville (Illinois), on August 19, 1873, they fostered relationships with those they served as an expression of their desire to bring the compassion of the Gospel to people on the margins of society,” said Sister Beth Murphy, series producer and the communications director for the sisters. “Launching F.L.O.W.cast today is a way of honoring their vision, courage, and commitment.”
The F.L.O.W.cast format was inspired by the relationships host Jeremiah Washington began building with the sisters when he began working at Sacred Heart Convent five years ago. “I didn’t know anything about the sisters when I started working at the convent,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and learning about their dedication to their ministry. They’ve inspired me a lot. I’m happy to be able to share that with the world.”
The inaugural episode was “Sister Bernie has a Fan Club.” Washington chose to launch his podcasting career with Sister Bernadette Marie McGuire because he was aware of her reputation for humor at Rosary High School in Aurora where she was previously the librarian. “Sister Bernie has a quirky sense of humor. That helped me escape the nervousness I was feeling as we recorded that first episode,” he explained.
New episodes of F.L.O.W.cast are available every Thursday throughout the estimated 6-month podcast season.
Aaron Tebrinke, the project manager for the sisters, doubles as the podcast editor and sound engineer. He recognized the gifts Washington could bring to the project. “I noticed the respect he has for the sisters, his curiosity about their lives of ministry, and his comfortable way of relating with others, and thought he could share those gifts with a broader audience of young people like himself,” Tebrinke said of Washington, who is on loan to the F.L.O.W.cast team from the Sacred Heart Convent housekeeping department.
The podcast name, F.L.O.W.cast, is an acronym for the phrase – For the Life of the World, which appears in John’s Gospel and is used by the sisters to summarize their response to God’s mission.
Completing the F.L.O.W.cast production team is Veronica Brown, the communications and advancement specialist for the Dominican Sisters, who designs the graphics and manages the distribution platforms.
Search for F.L.O.W.cast on your favorite podcast app, or visit: https://flowcastlisten.org and subscribe to receive the podcast in your inbox.
(Sister Beth Murphy, OP, is the communication director for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and lives at Cor Unum House, where the Dominicans accompany young adult women on their spiritual journey.)
