St. Anthony's Tongue

The Grandpa With the Stigmata: The Strange Story of Irving Houle

St. Anthony's Tongue

Show Notes

Grab a Copy of Issue 6 - Strange Catholicism here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vi-strange-catholicism

Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange, here: https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683

Join my Patreon here: http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

Episode on the Mysticism of the Stigmata: https://youtu.be/Apc3Ifl1n5o

Irving Houle was a husband, father, grandfather—and a reported stigmatist who experienced the wounds and Passion of Christ nightly for nearly sixteen years. In this episode, we explore Irving’s strange story, the mysticism behind the stigmata, his reported healing ministry, and what these wounds might reveal about becoming more like Christ. Featured in The Margins: Strange Catholicism and explored alongside the strange phenomena of the saints in A Catechism of the Strange.

More from St. Anthony's Tongue

Oct 23, 2026

What does God actually want from us? In this week's Mass Prep, we explore Matthew 22:34–40, where Jesus reveals the greatest commandment: to love God with our whole heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. But there's something far more intimate here than simply being a good person or following religious rules. God is not an accountant keeping track of our spiritual achievements. He is a lover who desires our hearts. Through bridal theology, the mystics, and the mystery of divine love, we explore how loving God transforms us, teaches us to love like Him, and changes how we encounter the people around us. Because God doesn't simply want our love. He wants to teach us how to love.

Oct 19, 2026

💀Resources:💀Grab Issue VII of The Margins: A Catholic's Guide to Ghosts https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/ Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange, here: https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683 Join my Patreon here: http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue It's Halloween! Let's bring an older episode back from they crypt. Here we discuss Catholicism, vampires and how the tales of one bleed into the other.

Oct 16, 2026

This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 22:15–21) gives us the famous command to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But what if the most important part of this passage isn't about Caesar at all? Jesus asks whose image is stamped upon a coin. But we, too, bear an image: the image of God. In this week's Mystical Mass Prep, we're exploring what it means to belong to God, why our dignity goes deeper than anything the world can tell us, and how holiness transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

Oct 14, 2026

Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts.Can the dead really return to the living? And what does the Catholic Church teach about ghosts?In this episode of St. Anthony's Tongue, we explore the strange Catholic theology of ghosts, drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great to understand why God might permit souls from heaven, hell, and purgatory to appear.Along the way, I'll share three ghost stories from the latest issue of *The Margins: A Catholic's Guide to Ghosts*, featuring St. Thomas Aquinas, Bl. Richard of St. Ann, and Padre Pio.We'll also explore what Catholics should do if they encounter a ghost.👻 Get Issue VII of The Margins: A Catholic's Guide to Ghosts: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vii-a-catholics-guide-to-ghosts

See all episodes →