Fr. Seraphim Baalbaki, C.F.R. is a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. He earned a B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics from Cornell University, an M.A. in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and an M.A. in Catholic Philosophical Studies from St. Joseph’s Seminary. He also began a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. Fr. Seraphim's intellectual formation is paired with a deep commitment to serving others, in his role as Director of Young Adult Ministry at the St. Francis Youth Center which ministers to children, teens, and young adults in the South Bronx.

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00:00 Intro
01:04 Living with poverty
08:15 Religious sacrifices
13:10 Men joining religious life
17:20 Giving up the internet
23:50 The importance of silence
36:40 Growing up in Saudi Arabia
42:37 Living as an agnostic
50:00 Experiencing the demonic
57:40 Conversion story
1:16:40 Supernatural experiences
1:30:04 Relations with other religions
1:43:03 Experiencing God
1:55:05 Evidence for God and Christianity
2:06:40 Is evolution real?
2:14:30 God's love for us
2:22:14 Becoming a friar
2:45:19 Finding spiritual direction
2:48:07 Why does conversion feel old?
2:54:53 Anxiety in choosing a devotion
3:01:47 Converting family without wife
3:03:40 Wrap-up