At The Friar’s Table
A show about faith, spirituality and belief, hosted by a Franciscan friar with an open table for all.
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At The Friar’s Table
A show about faith, spirituality, belief, and the challenges of modern life. At The Friar’s Table takes its inspiration from the life and spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, who urged his followers to “preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.” Recorded on site at Cleveland’s The Friar’s Table Restaurant–a work of Cleveland Capuchin Ministries–which was founded by cohost of the show, and Franciscan Friar, Br. Phil Bernier, OFM Cap.
Meet the Show’s Team
Br. Phil Bernier, OFM Cap. is a Franciscan Friar who belongs to the Capuchin branch of the first religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi, the Order of Friars Minor. He currently serves as pastor of historic St. Peter’s Catholic Church in downtown Cleveland. He is also co-founder of The Friar’s Table Restaurant.
Randy Chase is an executive in the music industry with a 30-year career, and has worked with many notable musical acts . In recent years, he returned to the faith and, by providence, met Br. Phil who introduced him to the work of St. Francis of Assisi and inspired the show’s launch. He is Vice President of the Tragic Hero Music Group and manages its record labels, Capitol Comics, and Cleveland’s own Superior Sound Studios.
Dr. Patrick Beeman is the medical director of Veranova Health, a board-certified OB/Gyn and addiction medicine physician, who credits St. Francis of Assisi with his conversion to Catholicism and whose love for the poor continues to inspire his work as a doctor. He studied philosophy and theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville (with a minor in Franciscan Studies) and has written on St. Francis of Assisi’s role in the life of the late giant of contemporary Christian music, Rich Mullins.
At the Friar’s table is produced in collaboration with The Friar’s Table Restaurant, Ars Longa Media, and Superior Sound Studios
About The Friar’s Table Restaurant A unique collaboration of three non-profit organizations – Playhouse Square, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute and Cleveland Capuchin Ministries – The Friars’ Table is a welcoming space where neighbors, visitors and employees are gathered by the promise of simple yet delicious food and drink, to form a community where all are welcome, all are honored and all are respected in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, who invites each of us to be instruments of peace and gracious stewards of God’s gift of creation.
Located in Playhouse Square at 1305 Euclid Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday and for Dinner only on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Mondays. Learn more at thefriarstable.org
What happens when you go most of your life not really believing that God loves you… and then something shifts?
In this first episode of At The Friar’s Table, Brother Phil talks about his own experience with faith and the slow, sometimes unexpected ways things began to change.
This isn’t a dramatic, overnight story. It’s more about the moments you don’t recognize at the time, and the ones that end up shaping everything later.
We get into what conversion actually looks like (and why it’s not always a single moment), how people find meaning through difficult or chaotic seasons, and what it really feels like to experience something deeper than just an idea of faith.
It’s a pretty honest conversation about life, belief, and trying to make sense of it all.
If you’ve ever questioned where you stand with God (or if any of this sounds familiar) you’ll probably connect with this one.
At The Friar’s Table is a Collaborative Production with The Friar’s Table Restaurant, Ars Longa Media, & Superior Sound Studios. Recorded on site at the restaurant in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.