“He’s always had a love for the Church and the priesthood. Kind of of his own accord, he decided he wanted to go to daily Mass over the summer,” she said.
When asked directly what he wants to be when he grows up, Teddy didn’t hesitate — he wants to be a priest. He said his favorite part of the Mass is the Liturgy of Eucharist, though given his love for the Bible, the Liturgy of the Word also touches him deeply. He said his favorite parts of the Bible are the Gospel passages about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
Teddy’s podcasting ambitions were sparked almost wholly by the example of Schmitz, the popular Minnesota priest who, in his podcast, reads through the entire Bible in 365 daily episodes, plus a prayer and reflection. Teddy’s parents would often put on “The Bible in a Year” for the family in the car, but turned it off if Schmitz issued any warnings about material unsuitable for children, as he occasionally does throughout the series. The interruptions perturbed Teddy, who craved a Bible podcast he could listen to in its entirety.
It was this desire, along with the prayers offered by Schmitz at the end of each “Bible in a Year” episode, that really inspired Teddy to want to create his own podcast.
He told his parents he wanted to give it a try, reading the Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles aloud. Stephani contacted the publisher of the book, Ascension, to see if they’d be willing to allow him to read the words from the book on-air. Ascension agreed (although Teddy always reads a disclaimer noting that Ascension doesn’t endorse or review the episodes).