At the heart of our mission is a belief in renewing Catholic discipleship for our time. In 2021, DeSales Media partnered with Vinea Research to conduct a national study to understand Catholics’ spiritual journeys, uncover unmet needs, and discover how to better serve those who are most engaged in living out the faith.
From the study emerged “Religion to Reality”, a platform dedicated to transforming those insights into action. Through free downloadable reports, expert-led webinars, and most recently, a new podcast series, “Religion to Reality” brings a strong link between worship, prayer, and spiritual direction, and influences people to start living a decompartmentalized life while adapting ministry approaches to different generations and contexts.
“Religion to Reality” makes these tools and insights accessible to all researchers, ministers, and every Catholic because true transformation happens when knowledge meets living faith.
Meet the Hosts
Dave Plisky
Dave Plisky has spent the last nine years working for the Church as Director of Marketing & Digital and Director of Product & Innovation for DeSales Media. Dave’s goal is to modernize Church communications so that she can flourish even in the digital and now AI epoch. Through special projects like the research study on intentional disciples that has become Religion to Reality, Dave helps DeSales use the contemporary gifts the Holy Spirit has given us to drive Catholics to put their faith in action. Dave has appeared on a number of podcasts, shows and blogs, and leads two Catholic book clubs. He serves on the board of the American Contemporary Classical Orchestra, and on the Product Advisory Committee for Magisterium AI, and participates annually in the Builders AI Forum in Rome. Dave has spent 20 years in marketing, product and innovation across industries in Los Angeles, New York, and Prague. He is currently pursuing an MA in Theology from Notre Dame. He graduated magna cum laude from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in business management, and is an alumnus of Seth Godin’s altMBA. Dave and his wife and son are parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi in the Diocese of Bridgeport. Dave is an avid reader and musician, a lover of comedy, and a jungle gym for his son, who every day helps Dave better come to know the love of the Father.
Fr. John Gribowich
Fr. John Gribowich is a theology teacher and campus minister at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory HS in San Francisco, CA. He is also the director of curriculum development for Sunday to Sunday, an initiative dedicated to cultivating compelling preaching in the Catholic Church and beyond. He previously taught at Allentown Central Catholic HS in Allentown, PA, and played an instrumental role in founding the Central City Project, which enabled students to engage in social justice initiatives in the city of Allentown. John has been active in the Catholic Worker Movement and is the co-owner of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm in Harveys Lake, PA. He earned his undergraduate degree in history and theology at DeSales University and studied theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, PA, and St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, NY. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2015 and has been an adjunct lecturer at DeSales University, Immaculata University, and St. John’s University (Jamaica, NY). Additionally, John has graduate degrees in art history and library science from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He has contributed articles and interviews to Magnificat, The Tablet, and The National Catholic Reporter. Along with theology and art history, his personal interests include meditation, reading, running, and the music of Bob Dylan.
Suggested Interview Questions
- What's the bottom line after reviewing all of the study results?
- What are you hoping people get from listening to the podcast?
- You have a wide array of guests with different backgrounds on the show. How will they contribute?
- How does a podcast help people to live a more integrated life?
- If people were to make one change in their life based on your findings, what would it be?
About DeSales Media
DeSales Media is a non-profit Catholic technology and communications ministry working in the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY. Named for the patron saint of writers and journalists, DeSales works to pioneer new and creative ways to articulate the faith in an ever-changing culture.
Media Requests
Contact Carrie Kline at carriek@revolutionizingmissions.com for interview requests.
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