“Hold fast, daughters, for they cannot take from you the Our Father and the Hail Mary.” — St. Teresa of Avila One of my professors in grad school, Dr. Timothy O’Malley, once commented on people’s state of busyness. “Hey, how are you?” someone will ask. And we often reply, “I’m good, I’ve been really busy.” [...]
My dear sister in Christ, I want you to know that I see you, and that it is my hope, my prayer, that this letter will bring you some comfort and peace. I hope that, by sharing my experience, you will no longer feel so alone. For the recently engaged, the world tells you to [...]
When we truly encounter Christ, we cannot help but be radically changed. We see this pattern repeated throughout history. St. Matthew, the tax collector, turns from his corrupt life and becomes a disciple of Jesus. The woman at the well leaves behind her life of lustful, broken relationships and thirsts only for living water. Zacchaeus [...]
Memento Mori - Always remember you will die. I do not have any tattoos (and do not plan on ever getting one), BUT I’ve decided that if I were to get something permanently imprinted upon my body it would be this phrase. Dramatic? Perhaps a little. Morbid? Far from it. In fact, I find it [...]
As a young girl (and to this day), I loved the movie The Sound of Music. I had great aspirations of being a spunky, joyful, faithful, romantic Maria, swinging my carpet bag and guitar whilst belting out “I have confidence in sunshine!” All of the songs brought me great joy, but there were some that [...]
Many of us are familiar with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe – the Blessed Virgin Mary, surrounded by light, standing on a crescent moon held up by an angel, clothed in a turquoise mantle that is embellished with stars. But how did this image come to be so revered? To understand, we must [...]
When I was 18, I struggled with my identity as a woman, attempting to reconcile my deepest desires with the way of the world and the ways of God. I longed to love and be loved. In pursuing these desires via the way of the world, I was left empty, tattered, spiritually destitute. Two years [...]
Saint Gemma Galgani and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton devoted their entire lives to Jesus. They show us that we must run to His mercy and unite ourselves wholly to Him.
Recent polls have shown that people generally fall into one of two categories when it comes to Valentine’s Day: either it is viewed as an overrated, Hallmark holiday or it is embraced as one of the most romantic days of the year. I suppose I fall somewhere in the middle. Ultimately, I think that celebrating [...]
As a young girl, I always loved the Sundays when a Baptism took place in the context of the Mass. There were many reasons I found Baptisms captivating; for starters, they punctuated our usual Sunday routine with something out of the ordinary. But more than that, I was drawn up into the joy and the [...]
Caitlin Bean 