The Life & Death Episode: World Cup, Wakes & Catholic Funerals w/ Fr. Hurley & Tom Curley | Ep. 42

A priest and a mortician walk into a podcast. Amen, and subscribe.

First up on the pitch, Marcelo Balboa. former U.S. Men's National Team defender and World Cup alum (1990, 1994, 1998), stops by at the top to break down the World Cup — including dark horse teams, hacky sack's unlikely comeback, and why the US needs to get to the quarterfinal, minimum. 

Then, Father Tom Hurley and funeral director Tom Curley join Pat and Dwayne Kennedy to cover the full Catholic life cycle: from baptism to burial, with a detour through hide-and-go-seek in a funeral home at age seven. Also: what does a dead body actually sound like? Can Catholics be buried naked? (Asking for a nudist.) And is “Here I Am Lord” the ultimate Catholic banger? 

🎧 New episodes every Thursday — filmed at Tiege Hanley Studios in Chicago. 

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🎤 Co-Host: Dwayne Kennedy
Instagram: @dwaynetkennedy

🎤 Guest: Tom Curley

🎤 Guest: Father Tom Hurley 
Instagram: @thomasjhurley

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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Kelley Thornton
PRODUCER - Paula Thornton
SHOWRUNNER - Tom Bambara
VIDEO AND AUDIO EDITOR - Madeline Curless
AUDIO ENGINEER - Tommy Grant
VIDEO PRODUCER - Eddie Perez
ORGANIC CONTENT MANAGER - George Moster

0:00 – Intro & Episode Preview
0:55 – Marcelo Balboa on the World Cup
6:00 – US Team Expectations & Dark Horses
13:00 – Balboa on the 1994 US Soccer Legacy
17:25 – Meet Fr. Hurley & Tom Curley
19:30 – Growing Up in a Funeral Home
22:17 – What Really Happens to Dead Bodies
24:53 – The Nudist Story
35:40 – Tom's Path Back to the Family Business
37:08 – Mortician School at Malcolm X
41:00 – Best (and Worst) Funeral Songs
46:35 – Eulogy Rules & Horror Stories
52:02 – Fr. Hurley on Personalized Homilies
57:54 – The Chicago Pope
1:01:00 – Fr. Hurley: Chaplain for the Bears
1:03:47 – Is the Catholic Church Growing?
1:07:15 – Cremation Trends & Wild Requests
1:14:45 – Ryne Sandberg Tribute
1:17:30 – Marist BigFest & Outro