What does it mean to live your Catholic faith when the sirens are sounding, and the culture is shifting beneath your feet?

In this episode of Catholic in America, Jason Adkins speaks with firefighter and author Benjamin O’Brien about his memoir, The Proving Grounds: A Catholic on Ladder 17.

Benjamin shares what it was like to serve as a first responder while navigating:

• Workplace harassment for his faith
• Pride activism within his department
• The moral and professional tension surrounding COVID mandates
• The mental and spiritual toll of trauma
• The strain first responder life places on marriage and family

This conversation goes far beyond firefighting. It is about what it means to stand firm in Christ in a secular workplace without becoming bitter, combative, or discouraged.

Benjamin reflects on humility, the example of St. Joseph, the little way of St. Thérèse, and the quiet heroism required to build Babylon’s good without bending to its gods.

For anyone trying to live faithfully in today’s workplace, this episode offers encouragement, clarity, and hope.

Links:

Book:
The Proving Grounds: A Catholic on Ladder 17
https://ignatius.com/the-proving-grounds-pgp/

Author Interview at Catholic World Report:
Fighting Fires and Growing in Faith
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/06/15/fighting-fires-and-growing-in-faith-an-interview-with-benjamin-obrien/

Jason Adkins, host of Catholic in America, engages our own time, culture, and political milieu with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to explore how to live more fully Catholic. With so much to explore, we have guests from a variety of perspectives and faith backgrounds, and conversations do not necessarily constitute endorsements.

Catholic in America is an OSVNews.com podcast partnership. Support Catholic in America by becoming a patron of the show here.