What we know about St. Mary of Egypt comes from oral tradition, recorded by St. Sophronius. And though the facts seem fantastical, it is one of the truest stories in Christendom. It is beautiful, nuanced, rich, and shocking to the point of being sensational. Yet it is transcendent in that it is true, good, and …
(I wrote this six years ago. It was first posted in 2019 on the blog of the Catholic Club at University of Maine Farmington.) I love love. You can blame it on my personality type (ENFP) or being Enneagram 4 or my heritage or my Patron Saint (St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the patroness …
Is the world causing you anxiety? Do you find yourself on edge, ready to fight strangers on the internet about situations that don’t remotely concern you because the news cycle told you that the appropriate response is outrage? Here are some ways to maintain your peace. I don’t say to find peace, because if you …
(This post contains affiliate links.) I have a little book club of Catholic women, mostly moms, and we take turns choosing the books. The taking turns was a concession, because let’s be real. I started the book club so all my friends would read my favorite books and then we could yap about them over …
“Sometimes, at the dinner table, a man might get up and go outside and walk and walk, simply because there’s somewhere in the East a church.” (Rilke’s Book of Pilgrimage) My fourth child is a junior at Hillsdale majoring in politics. First of all, what? How am I old enough that my fourth born is …
Today is my birthday. I slept in and as my awareness slowly returned to me around 9am, there were tears in my eyes. I’m so grateful to be 46. I’m still here. Not only that, I’m happy. I like my life. That is the craziness thing I’ve ever heard, honestly and I never would have …
Chatting recently with my book club, someone dropped the name of a prominent Catholic teacher/writer/celebrity. I won’t mentioned his name here, because I don’t need that smoke. This name carries a lot of weight in most Catholic circles. For me, he’s…..meh. When I read his books I feel like I’m reading any twentieth century Protestant …
As previously discussed here and here and here, life is hard. And it takes nothing away from God’s absolute goodness to say that. But, also, there are so many beautiful things in life. So many smiles from the Lord. So much tenderness. So many tiny and innumerable reasons for joy. The world is far more …
I am the daughter of pastors. I am the granddaughter of pastors. I am the great granddaughter of pastors. When I got married I was a pastor’s wife. I was soon after ordained and became a pastor myself. And now I am a Catholic. How does this happen? Well, I have shared about it in …
It is not so early in the morning on Bright Monday, but my house is still completely still. There is a deep sleep in the air, the kind you wear like a winter coat. It’s heavy with contentment. I am sitting here drinking my coffee and reflecting on the weekend, the culmination of Lent, and …
reconciling things 