This month, we’re celebrating 9 years of Blessed is She.
It’s amazing to look at what the Lord has done through this sisterhood. When we pondered the best way to celebrate, the theme of friendship kept coming up. Thus was born the #LiturgyOfLetters!
Intentionality in Friendship
There is something so special (and powerful!) about sitting down and writing a friend a letter by hand. This is a labor of love that takes time! In a world of constant scrolling and social media, it can feel easier to just like a few images online and feel like we’re “connected”.
How much more meaningful is it to receive something tangible from a friend that took the time to craft it and mail it to you? Even more so, to hear actual words from them about their life and the things they appreciate about you.
This is why we started the #LiturgyOfLetters this month—to celebrate true friendship that is willing to make the time to show people how much we really care.
The Example of the Saints
Letter writing has a sweet history in the Church. The New Testament is filled with letters written by Paul (and others) to the growing churches around the world. Even more, letter writing has been a beautiful part of the lives of many Saints!
We gathered some of our favorite letters from Saints here. When you read with them, pray with the words inside. Consider them letters to your own heart. Then, let them encourage you to flood your own friends' mailboxes with similar encouragement, wisdom, prayer, and joy!
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Read her full letters to her sister Céline here.
Saint Thérèse wrote a huge collection of letters to her little sister, Céline 🥹
She pours into her sister with a heart on fire for Jesus. The way she shares her excitement, encouragement, sorrow, and prayer life with Céline — our hearts are bursting!!!
We collected our favorite lines here.
Saint Catherine of Siena
Read Catherine’s full letters here.
The diversity of Saint Catherine of Siena’s letters is so rich. She wrote to a variety of people, from personal friends to priests to royalty. Without fail, she pointed the recipients to virtue and holiness with so much grace.
She started most of her letters with: "In the Name of Jesus Christ crucified and of sweet Mary,"
Is that not what it's all about?!
We collected our favorite lines here.
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Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo
Read this full letter and the story behind it here.
"The Lord has wanted you from eternity, and He will show you the road to follow if you open your heart. Trust Him. It is worth the while."
It was hard to choose just a few favorite lines from this letter of Chiara Petrillo and her husband, Enrico. They wrote this to their son, Francesco, when he turned one, and it’s the sweetest thing.
What an example of speaking life into our families and friendships!
We collected our favorite lines here.
Saint Clare of Assisi & Saint Agnes of Prague
Read these letters and the story behind them here.
In the 13th century, a humble princess named Agnes heard about a charitable religious sister named Clare.
These two women, never meeting each other, wrote letters back and forth for over 19 years.
These letters, hand carried by Franciscan Friars across Europe, are a beautiful witness to the power of holy friendship. They consistently called each other deeper into contemplation and love for Jesus.
We’re sure that Heaven rejoiced at every word. We collected our favorite lines here.
Build Each Other Up
Our hope is that this practice of letter-writing doesn’t end here. Continue to carve out space to connect with your friends beyond the screen! Send snail mail to your long distance buddies and get a coffee date on the calendar with your local pals.
The effort we put into loving others well will always bear great fruit in our lives. It’s an honor to walk with you as friends here at Blessed is She. Here’s to many more years of friendship!
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” // 1 Thessalonians 5:11
P.S. the #LiturgyOfLetters includes a HUGE giveaway in collaboration with tons of our Christian small business friends. Write a letter to a friend, tag us in a photo of it, and be entered to win this massive box of goodies!
Cover photo from Jana Zuniga Pingel
Aubrey Major est actuellement étudiante de premier cycle à l'Université Marian d'Indianapolis et fait partie du programme d'écrivain en résidence de Blessed is She. Elle étudie le graphisme et explore des rôles dans les médias sociaux, la photographie et le ministère. Aubrey aime les palettes de couleurs terreuses, la sensation de rire profond et aider les gens à trouver une plus grande joie dans leur vie grâce à l'art. Vous pouvez en savoir plus sur elle ici .
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