Allowing ourselves to be weary pilgrims this Advent
Displayed in a small side chapel of Sant’Agostino in Rome is an arresting painting by the great Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The work, “Madonna of the Pilgrims,” shocks…
Books on my journey from daughter to bride (Part 1)
During my recent move from one apartment to another in preparation for my fast-approaching wedding, I realized once again how many books I own. While I’ve promised Dominic, my soon-to-be-husband,…
The 54-day Rosary novena is the best cure to a painful breakup. Here’s why
During my teenage years, I was in a relationship with a handsome young guy whom I was convinced I was going to marry. I had it all planned out in…
Mary, my mother: The power of Marian consecration
It happened in the back of a cop car: the Blessed Virgin Mary showed me her motherly care. It began while I was stuck in traffic on a daytrip bus…
Why we call Mary ‘co-redeemer,’ and what that means for us
A few weeks ago, we had a visitor in our home who went straight for the jugular. “You Catholics are going to hell because you believe in a religion instead…
Catholic Hispanic traditions made me feel at home
If you grew up like I did with a lot of Caucasian friends, particularly Irish ones, then until recently, you, too, may have grown up with St. Patrick’s Day being…
What Our Lady of Sorrows can teach us about the heart of women
A few months ago while tucked into a coffee shop booth with my best friend, I found myself filling her in on the sweetness and sorrow of the previous month….
When I’m stretched beyond my limits
Before my son was born and then for some time after while we were still in the hospital, my husband and I binged “Survivor.” On the show, contestants all have…
Praying with the Seven Sorrows of Mary
I was raised Southern Baptist, with an aversion to the Catholic faith. When I met and fell in love with a Catholic Marine, I was as horrified as my parents….
Praying in solidarity with Ukraine through iconography
Despite war raging in Eastern Europe, it can be easy for the conflict to feel worlds away. With or without an extra intercession during Mass, the minor inconvenience of higher…