How do you suffer well when the pain never seems to end. That is the question I sat with in this conversation with Chantal Howard, founder of a Catholic finishing school for young women and author of Show Me Your Scars, a book built on Fulton Sheen's theology of suffering. Chantal has spent years forming young women in identity and character, and she has walked through her own deep seasons of suffering too, from a hard chapter with her daughter to twenty four years of a marriage she calls both painful and victorious. We talk about what Fulton Sheen taught her about turning wounds into scars, why suffering might be the very thing that opens our hearts to love others well, and how I found my own peace in the middle of a health scare that changed how I see everything. If you have ever wondered whether your suffering has a purpose, I think this conversation will meet you right where you are. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and if this one speaks to you, please subscribe and share it with someone who needs it today.

This episode looks at the purpose of suffering from a Catholic perspective, drawing on Fulton Sheen's teaching that suffering and grace work together rather than suffering simply being something to endure. Chantal and I talk about finding peace in pain within marriage, parenting, and illness, and what healing through suffering can actually look like day to day. We also touch on her Catholic finishing school for young women, her family's connection to Fulton Sheen's upcoming beatification, and how faith and suffering together can lead us toward real and lasting joy.

Find more from Chantal:
Personal Website: https://chantal-howard.com/
Catholic Finishing School: https://catholicfinishingschool.com/
Show Me Your Scars (the book): https://fultonsheenmovement.com/show-me-your-scars
Beatification Pilgrimage: https://fultonsheenmovement.com/pilgrimage-register
America's Saint Conference: https://fultonsheenconference.com/
Mass Tickets: https://www.celebratesheen.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fulton.sheen.movement
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fultonsheeninstitute
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fultonsheenmovement

Connect with me:
My website: https://tammympeterson.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammy.m.peterson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammypetersonpodcast
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tammypetersonpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tammy1peterson

— Chapters —
00:00 - Opening the Conversation and Introducing Chantal Howard
00:59 - Inside Chantal's Catholic Finishing School
07:53 - From Tomboy Gymnast to Finishing School Founder
11:34 - Fulton Sheen's Beatification and Her Husband Peter's Mission
15:48 - Losing Her Father and Finding Sheen as Her Spiritual Director
18:21 - Their Idyllic Courtship and the Reality of Married Life
22:03 - Fulton Sheen's Theology: Suffering as Our Superpower
25:41 - Navigating a Teen Pregnancy and a Devastating Loss
28:42 - Tammy's Own Cancer Prognosis and What It Taught Her
34:53 - The Good Thief and the Bad Thief: Taken Down or Lifted Up
38:51 - A Painful Marriage and Their Greatest Victory
41:47 - Busyness, the Rosary, and Building a Real Prayer Life
48:02 - Helping Girls Navigate Social Media Without Losing Their Identity
53:46 - The Beatification Conference and Faith as the Countersign to AI
57:08 - Danny's Story: Forgiveness After Tragedy
59:16 - The Twenty Testimonies Behind Show Me Your Scars