Dan Venezia
Episode 184
8 AUG 2022
He played three seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization and is a survivor of two near-death experiences. Back in his days as a student-athlete he led his high school to a city championship and received a college scholarship, going on to lead the nation in stolen bases in 1992 in NCAA Division II play. Later, during a seven-year span, his recreational coaching record was 85-5 with six championships along with three undefeated seasons. He is also a professional trainer and has not only published a children’s book based around his being a coach, but also wrote a faith-based book on surviving Covid-19.
Notable guest quotes:
“Luckily I had a strong, resilient, faith-filled mother who instilled the love of Christ in my siblings and me.”
“It was at my aunt and uncle’s that I stayed with my two cousins, a Christian Catholic family… and it was there that I learned how to pray.”
“Baseball along with the love of Christ saved me.”
“God was looking out for me. There’s no doubt that He had a plan… He certainly had other things in store for me.”
“People say they lose their faith. Faith is not a set of car keys. It’s not a wallet that you misplace or that you leave in the seat cushion of the couch. Faith is a gift. It’s given to us by our Creator, and we leave the faith, and when we decide to come back – and I hope and pray that everyone who’s lost comes back – … Jesus is right there with his arms wide open, just waiting for you. So, he never leaves us. We’re the ones that leave him.”
“I was definitely Bible-based. I’d go to baseball chapel, which is what they had there at the time, and it was Christian-based.”
“Of course you question God when things go wrong. I wasn’t thanking Him enough for the things that were going right in my life… Too many times we come to God during these challenging times and we either come closer or we move farther away.”
“God closed that window, but He opened up the door of opportunity.”
“The only thing I remember, my priest, my good friend, Monsignor Geno Sylva at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, the only thing I remember him saying from that homily – and thank God I held onto the words ‘cause I would need them to sustain me through the coming days – the only thing I remember, he said, ‘During challenging times, we should never feel sorry for ourselves. Jesus never felt sorry for himself’.”
“When I knew I was getting out of that hospital, there were so many guardian angel moments.”
“Jesus was my best doctor. Prayer was my best medicine. And Mother Angelica was my best nurse.”
“I don’t worship Mary. I only worship the one God. But I will not deny His mother. She was present then, she’s more present now. She’s brought me closer to her son. And I can’t talk about Jesus without talking about her.”
Related link:
Dan’s official website (for his book, more photos, and additional content)
