St. Thérèse, Doctor of Merciful Love
When I was young, my family owned an illustrated Lives of the Saints book. On the cover was a black and white picture of a young girl. I remember flipping...
How the Fear of Hell Made Me Want to Be Holy
It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler, when it is honest, and realizes what it has done, and returns, it...
Subtle Works of Mercy
Sometimes I look at my life, and I don’t know whether hypocrisy or irony is screaming louder. I write about mercy, because I believe whole-heartedly in its power to change...
Finding Calcutta
Has a saint ever chased after you? Everywhere you turn, there there are, seemingly waiting for you. It’s like they’re trying to tell you something that you don’t want to...
Failing with Grace, Over and Over
Our two-and-a-half-year-old son Oscar can’t walk. He can’t talk. He has intractable epilepsy, a slippery demon that rears its head again and again. Often just when we think we finally...
Growing Through Holy Hurt
We live in a tumultuous time. Stories of heartache and disaster fill our newsfeeds and an edge of hostility runs through everything from politics to popular culture. It would be...
St. Kateri Tekakwitha: Lily of the Mohawks
Growing up, I remember packing my sit-upon and mess kit to attend Camp Sacagawea as a camper, and later, as a counselor each year through high school. My grandfather whittled...
St. Maria Goretti: Peace Through Mercy
Just over one hundred and fifteen years ago, little Maria Goretti was killed in Nettuno, Italy. The Short and Saintly Life of Maria Goretti Maria’s father died of malaria when...
6 Modest Dresses for Summer (That are Ethically-Made)
I address a heartfelt appeal that the logic of profit not prevail, but rather that of solidarity and justice. At the center of every situation, especially work-related, should be the...
Be a Missionary to Ireland (Without Leaving Your Home)
When The Blessed is She team first discerned and decided that the theme of the Blessed is She retreats for 2018 would be Wild, I had no idea just how...
What is an Indulgence?
The word “indulgence” always made me feel a little uncomfortable. Growing up Catholic, I knew it was something Martin Luther got upset about when he separated himself from Catholicism back...
Why and How to Start a Meal Train
The arrival of a new baby. Loss of a loved one. Financial difficulty. Illness. Hospitalization. These are just a few of the situations that bring out a family’s need for...
