Moments 'til Midnight: The Final Thoughts of a Wandering Pilgrim, book review

Moments 'til Midnight: The Final Thoughts of a Wandering Pilgrim (aff) by Brent Crowe


The picture and the description led me to believe this book was going to be a series of first person thoughts from Paul's perspective. Instead, the book uses Paul's final hours before his execution as a frame for telling the reader modern day anecdotes and feelings-based theology. Frankly, it's nothing I haven't already read or heard and there isn't really any meat on the bones. I thought there would be more historical research and insight, but it's really just a few sermons on grace, living with purpose, the value and role of friendship, pilgrim mentality, virtuous living, unity with the family (body) of Christ, and more. It didn't grab me.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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This post may contain affiliate links, which help me support my art habit.

How to write at letter to someone (you don't know) on a retreat

Years and years ago, I wrote a guide on How to Write a Letter to Someone on a Retreat. It has brought more search engine-arrived traffic to my blog than any other post, by far, and I hope it has been helpful.

As I was cleaning up the spam comments, I saw a real comment from someone suggesting I write a How-To on writing a letter to someone one doesn't know who is also on a retreat.

Super hipster photo by MILKOVÍ on Unsplash

This is a common act of service: writing a letter (palanca, as they are called in my circle) to someone on a retreat even when they are a stranger to you. When retreatants are given their packet of letters and they notice letters from people they've never met who are praying for them, they're further surrounded by the Body of Christ. It can been the source of transformation for someone who might not regularly feel that familial Love within the Church.

In my other post on writing retreat letters, I began with a series of questions to figure out how deep you want to go with the person to whom you're writing. Obviously, that's not a step we can take here. Instead, examine yourself and how you can authentically communicate what you know about Christ's message.

1. What's the likelihood that this person had to battle with the Evil One to make it to this retreat? Consider warning them that they might be going through complicated emotions and obstinate during the retreat because the devil doesn't want him or her there. This might help them feel a little relief over the battle going on inside and open their heart a little more.

2. What was your experience when you were on one of these retreats? Give them an anecdote, especially if it's a truthful one about how you didn't necessarily have that giant 'ah-ha' moment that everyone else seemed to feel. Encourage them that the journey to Faith isn't about the seen and the felt.

3. What works of mercy can they employ during the remainder of the retreat? Encourage them to reach out to someone they've never met before or to go on a hike when they really just want to lay on their bed. Challenge them to treat the retreat like a chance to do something differently. They can always go back to "normal" when they get home (little do they know that our Lord will always be working on them).

4. Are they journaling during their time? Enclose a blank piece of paper (and a pencil, if possible) and encourage them to write down some of their thoughts. Tell them that it's okay if the thoughts are rants or if they seem pointless. God can work with that.

5. Obviously, you have to keep this letter slightly general and one-sided, as you don't know this individual. Know that when I received letters during my retreats from people I didn't know, I was reminded about the Body of Christ. We are all in the Communion of Saints and I was privileged to know that someone cared enough about the Church (the people in it) to write to a stranger.

Things to remember:

• Less is more. Lots of words do not always mean more love. You can have a greater impact with carefully chosen, few words.
• Keep in mind that he or she is probably exhausted. Retreats can take it out of you, physically and spiritually. He or she may not know how he or she feels at that point. Assure them that's okay.
• He or she either learned new facts about the faith or are trying to convince himself or herself they haven't learned anything. Assure them that retreats affect people differently.
• The person to whom you are writing may disagree with or dislike something about the faith. Encourage them to ask questions of the priest, if you suspect this is the case. Remind them to remain calm and polite when doing this. Discussion is good, but hostility will produce skewed results.
• Quotes are used so often because smart people pack HUMONGOUS messages in succinct, profound nuggets. Before you start your letter, pick a few quotes or Bible verses that embody what you'd want to hear at a retreat. You may be surprised by what comes out of your pen without aid and may not need to use the quotes/verses... but it doesn't hurt to have them if you need them.

Christ in the Classroom, book review

Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind by Jared Dees
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Catholic school principals, dioceses, Directors of Religious Education, team leads in Catholic schools, and anyone who wants to be an effective catechist, listen up: you need to read this book. And if you are a leader in your parish or school with teachers or volunteers who teach kiddos, you need to buy a copy of this for every one of them.

As a teacher, I can confidently share that Jared Dees has compiled current research on pedagogy in a succinct manner and applied it to the religious education classroom. Is teaching the Faith about knowing the answers to pop quiz questions? The author says it is not and all of us should agree. But how do we accomplish bringing our students to learn to love God rather than just know about Him? This book breaks down an encompassing method: apply Lectio Divina to your lesson planning.

Dees doesn't just mean that you should be preparing your lessons through prayerful consideration and meditation, but he actually creates a structure for the lesson that follows the four steps of Lecito Divina (he adds one more), corresponding to the chapters. He encourages teachers to be the "guide on the side" instead of simply lecturing and to engage students through those Lectio Divina steps: reading, meditating, praying, contemplating, and acting. Dees concludes that this structure is not meant to be a template (probably so a teacher who has been teaching for years doesn't throw their hands up in frustration that they're supposed to change everything they're doing), but that the teacher can just apply the principles to what he or she is already doing. Personally, if a teacher aims to lead his or her students to Christ, rather than just to answering the questions right, they would follow his structure (and abundant tips, resources, examples, and suggestions!) to a T.

Many parishes and Catholic schools hire good people who have never taught before or who need a refresher on the best way to teach (read: don't just lecture all day). This book, if read and discussed in a staff-wide book club, could be a linchpin. It teaches pedagogy for all education philosophy, reflects on the importance of leading students to encounter Christ, and provides specific and concrete resources that teachers can take and use in tomorrow's lesson plans. Highly recommended.

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The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Religious Liberty in Georgian England, book review

The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Religious Liberty in Georgian England by Antonia Fraser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars
Antonia Fraser is clearly one of the most scholarly writers for today's living room history enthusiasts. This book thoroughly investigates a topic that I believe has a dearth of information uncovered: Catholicism in the British Isles after the famous Henry VIII converted the islands on their behalf. I've never learned so much about the intricacies of the time period related to Catholics and it's clear she intimately combed through her research to arrive at the information she shared.

It's not a book for someone who wants a light read for bedtime. I had to concentrate heavily to absorb any of the information. And for what it's worth, I'm Catholic (lots of background knowledge there) and a lifelong Anglophile. I've devoured so much historical and fictional literature about the UK over the years and I had to rely heavily upon that while reading this.

Disclosure: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book for free from NetGalley in order to review it before it was published.

This book is set to be published on September 25, 2018.

View all my reviews

The American Catholic Almanac, book review

Book review:

The American Catholic Almanac
by Brian Burch, Emily Stimpson
Pub Date: 30 Sep 2014

(I downloaded this sooooooo long ago and took this long to review it...)

Brian Burch and Emily Stimpson clearly worked hard to craft thoughtful reflections for each day of the year for American Catholics. The book is organized by months and days in which the reader digests reflections about Catholic Americans past and how they affected our present. I would love to try to become a part of our future!

★★★★

Meantime

Several weeks ago I wrote a letter to our Lord.

Allowing myself to be a little mad at God for not making answers as obvious to me as I want, when I want them, is both totally immature (childlike? Can I get credit for that?) and spiritually healthy. I must know how unconditionally he loves me because I'm willing to yell at him.

The outside world will not be privy to my entire letter to God, but I want to start educating those who might not know much about the business of family growing. It's not the fault of those who are ignorant of it. It's the responsibility of people facing infertility, or at least unintended delay in growing their family, to teach.

1 - Gratitude

One part of my letter thanked Him for blessing me beyond my deserving -- obviously so. He offered, gave, is giving, and will give me salvation, if I am open to His mercy. I had a joyful childhood, have talents and gifts, an incredible husband, a beautiful job, and the opportunities and courage God gave me to serve Him and His people. That huge list of things that makes my heart so full should be enough. My ingratitude is something on which I am working.

2 - Reflections

My letter moved on to trying to explain the perceptions I've developed in the last three years with regards to hope. I feel like I've put too many shiny silver hope coins in the machine. I'm fresh out. This leads me to divide hope into two categories: active hope and subsurface hope.

Active hope: "This might be the day we conceive!"
Subsurface hope: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me even though I feel like the exact opposite IRL."

Shiny, appealing active hope is not the right kind of faith. There is childlike faith, but then there is dealing with the consequences of assuming everything is going to happen the way you predict it.

3 - Servility

Faith (and the accompanying subsurface hope) is continuing to ask and pray to Him for His will, even when you're mad that your personal timeline is inconvenienced. Faith is knowing that God can do anything, but that he expects you to continue engaging in your life in the meantime.

"Faith is to believe what you do not see;

the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."  

--St. Augustine

I don't see what I'm supposed to do in the meantime as I wait for the fulfillment of my vocation, I wrote in my letter to God. "I know I'm not doing this right; I know the Devil has my ear. I'm having a hard time distinguishing between Your voice and his, which is crazy," I wrote.

I recognized in the letter that my job here on Earth is NOT to avoid pain at all costs. This is one of the lesser reasons why IVF will never be an option (more on that in the future). I end my letter asking God to tell me what I'm supposed to do to distract my thoughts or deal with things in the meantime.

Since writing it, I've had 3 or 4 holy hours in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and received a few whisperings of answers. I'm still sorting them out, but if anyone has an answer to my question, "What do I do in the meantime while the process of God's will is underway?" I'd love to hear it in a comment below!

Question: Building the Church

Please help.

This weekend's and this week's readings open discussion about cravings. After last weekend's retreat driven by community atmosphere ahead of Sacramental gifts, my husband desired the Eucharist like a severe craving. He desired it to be in a reverent setting with kneelers, quiet reflection before Mass, genuflecting, and a tabernacle present behind the altar.

Full disclosure: I follow the
"be in unity with your congregation" policy
(credit: CatholicMemes)

Therefore, we participated in Mass at a parish in another part of town. Why? Because, frankly, we have not found those things at our parish.

Mass at the church we visited this weekend was so beautifully reverent, we both joyfully teared up prior to receiving the Eucharist. It felt like letting out a big bubble of air: the kind you kept taking in as little sips of breath over and over until there was no more room.

It's a point of struggle for me: stay at the parish where my parents attend, where I received all of my Sacraments (including matrimony), and where my husband and I involve ourselves in multiple ministries, or go to another parish.

We could be a part of bringing our current parish community closer to understanding the Eucharist and the fulfilling joy it brings. On the other hand, the parish was founded with a specifically community-focused atmosphere instead of one with a Sacramental emphasis (can you tell how hard I'm trying to word this?). There are many beautiful, joyful members of the parish who exude Love. However, there is a profound dip in attendance (you've heard that before) and I know attention to the Blessed Sacrament would help heal us.

Help me. I have been somewhat against church shopping, but I keep feeling a call to celebrate Mass in a more reverent setting. What do you think?

Catholics: Experts on Eating

I have a history of struggling with food and body image, like many women in America.

I'm grateful that I recognize the joy I get from exercise and glorifying God with my body through running. However, I still go up and down with my relationship with food.

I've given up sugar ( to the extent where I checked ingredients lists), I've gone vegan for a little while (knowingly temporarily. Bacon.), I've done Weight Watchers, I've tracked every morsel I put into my mouth, I've deprived myself of one thing or another, and I usually end up exasperated and disappointed.

The most success that I've had came when I gave up sugar, and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that I was enjoying God's blessing of vegetables and fruits with a smiling heart. However, as soon as I got through (hmmm) Christmas this year I lost sight of why I was choosing foods the way I had been choosing them. I realized I didn't have the right mindset, and it really was all about me trying to control.

Yesterday I was listening to my free treat, a surprise Sirius XM subscription in my car (when there had not been one since we bought the car) and I heard part of Jen Fulwiler's radio show. She had Emily Stimpson on air with her, talking about her new blog The Catholic Table. They discussed how their relationship with food and eating changed for the better when they fully explored their Catholic faith.

That's why the Vatican is in Italy. Think about the way they treat food over there! Imagine if the Vatican was in Germany, or in England. The Italian culture stresses a total appreciation for every morsel, combined with an expression of love for those gathered by sitting down and savoring time at the table.

God provided the Eucharist for us commune with Him and His other children while we are on Earth. I need to go to Him more often and to try to control less often. I don't want to find myself using terms like "got through," as in: survived the dessert table, to discuss time with my family at Christmas ever again.

A nice intro post on Emily's blog: What is The Catholic Table?

Gesture of Peace

Here we go again. Couple in front of me, couple beside me, family behind me. Great. I picked my seat perfectly, AGAIN. Why can't some old widow sit next to me ONE of these days. Great. Here he goes, ready to spin everyone off into the arms of their spouses, girlfriends, fiances, moms/dads/people-who-love-them-enough-to-join-them-at-Mass. Great. Another reminder that I'm single and here alone. I love this.

This may or may not have been an inner dialogue of my own several years ago. Going to Mass by yourself can hurt. Often, it can hurt so much that you A) stop going to Mass all together, B) stop going to one parish and "church hop," therefore preventing yourself from becoming established in one place, or C) get mad at God for keeping you in this state of limbo.

My compassionate, wonderful husband has always made it his mission to include people. So many of his friends are those who he met because he was reaching out to them when they were the new kid or were in need of someone to reach out to them. It's one of my favorite things about my BFF/husband.

This holy husband of mine introduced me to this practice with which I'm about to challenge you: if you are lucky enough to go to Mass with someone (spouse, significant other, friend, family, anyone), don't offer them the gesture of peace until after you've offered it to all of those around you. There is bound to be someone near you who is dreading the gesture of peace because they know they'll have those 24 seconds alone, watching everyone else remind them that they came alone. 

We are a community. Build it and reach out to those who came to gather. Your Mass partner isn't going anywhere. This is one small way I believe we can strengthen the Church.

My View - Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

My husband and I had the opportunity to be at the deaconate ordination of a friend of ours at the Richmond Diocese's Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.  The Mass was beautiful and it was transcending to watch a faithful guy I've known since childhood receive Holy Orders, one year before he (God willing) becomes a priest.  Sitting in this beautiful cathedral, I'm also reminded that I will soon sit in these pews again to watch two other friends enter the Sacrament of Matrimony!

Visit Julie at The Corner with a View for more "My View" posts!

Multicultural Education

This was the week. I've been praying in anticipation for my multicultural education class this week, knowing that the topic would be "heterosexism." This really isn't my number one concern for our world, but I knew I would be in the minority on this issue and didn't want to neglect my call to it.

In preparation for this week, the professors gave everyone a circle pin that says "Support Gay Rights," asking us to make our own choice about whether or not to wear it for two weeks. There is a reflection assignment due at the end of the semester reviewing our choice. No discussion, just "will they or won't they?"

I prayed that I could open up my heart to be the Holy Spirit's instrument and that I would be able to communicate Love for person, while still speaking the Truth. I knew this would probably alienate me from most of my classmates.

We have to write a reflection paper at the end of every session of "Multicultural Education." This was mine:

This debate is demeaning Love down to this.

As is my habit, I think I made my views somewhat clear last night. The risk with having views such as mine, especially after the entire class watched that film ["For the Bible Tells Me So"], is that voicing them falls on ears that already have opinions about me as an Other. I wish the button experiment was a discussion rather than an assumption that choosing not to wear the button means one is a bigot or a religious nut. I make a very conscious choice never to use “gay” as a derogatory or to refer to people with same sex attraction as an Other. People with same sex attraction face a lot more struggles than I can comprehend and just like other people who face struggles I don’t fully understand, they deserve my respect and compassion. This issue truly isn’t my number one concern, but I think it influences a lot of other parts of our society that concern me (ie, adoption of children by gay couples intentionally removes a parental role from the family). I understand that I am in a shrinking minority, but the message that I kept hearing last night (“Don’t like gay marriage? Don’t get one.”) is an unfair one that undermines and silences discussion.

I appreciate that the film included parents who discovered that they needed to have compassion and Love for their children. I also understand that this played well into the “Don’t like gay marriage? Don’t get one” stance. However, I agree with the African-American mother when she said that she realized that her thoughts and fears about her daughter’s sexuality centered mainly around her having sex.* Her daughter is still her daughter, no matter to whom she is attracted, and she needed to remember that. This is an important thing to remember for every “Otherism,” including the otherism the movie displayed against their icon for “Christians who stand against ‘gay rights.’” We all struggle with our own burdens and understandings of our world. I don’t subscribe to the idea that the world is void of a Universal Truth, but I recognize that we’re all searching for it, even if that is subconsciously.

*This link will bring you to the part of the movie I mentioned above. Note: I don't 100% agree with her approach, but she made a good point that can help those of us who forget to Love all people.

Small-v vocation

Sticks and stones? Sometimes kids can hurt your feelings.

Yesterday was my first time in my observation placement for this semester (the one with third graders vs the one with 4th and 5th graders) and it was INSPIRING. These kids were amazing and their teacher made it look so easy. She must have set up some serious classroom management practices in the beginning of the year because they were respectful little angels. I took copious notes.

In September, I started teaching a class of third graders at the church nearby my university. This is my first year of grad school as I work toward my elementary education masters and I wanted some extra in-class experience. Plus, I loved the 1st graders I helped teach a couple years ago and I was ready for that rush again.

Really?

I've thought of many reasons why this year's CCD class has been so challenging (I wasn't there for the first class, so I couldn't set up a classroom management system; they only see us for one hour a week, so why would they listen to us? And they have the. most. boring activity books), but on Sunday I realized I need to just start the journey from wherever my feet are right now. Every Sunday feels like a struggle for power with these kids and it weighed on me.

This weekend I faced one of my biggest fears: a little kid said something negative about me to my face. Ouch. Way to challenge my faith in myself, kid. Needless to say, I spent some time in the dumps over it.

Yesterday I felt more comfortable with the kids in the class I visited than I do with my CCD class. It could be due to knowing I had a fresh start or because the teacher had such a great classroom environment already set up. However, I think it was mostly due to my own relief.

There. I'm relieved I finally had a bad moment as a teacher. I was worried that would happen and now that it has, I can move on and improve myself. Phewwww.

Vocation Confirmation

I had an Epiphany through Pinterest that had nothing to do with lace doilies, spray paint, low calorie cheese cake, or wedding table runners (per se...).

Last year, Sr. Lisa challenged me to examine my vocation and I did... kind of. Tony called me on my bull you-know-what, correctly so. I spent the next while asking a lot of questions I never wanted to fully explore.

Yes.

Truth be told, I didn't want to be a nun. I had just celebrated my six-monthaversary with my wonderful beau and I was looking forward to teaching my kids to swim and make perfect rice krispie treats. The best I could do in terms of openness to God's will was, "I want to want to do God's will."

So I wrote this, which almost tore me in half. My beau proved his worth to me and told me he wanted me to follow God's will, too. We've prayed, I've prayed, I've only really discussed it with him and my sisters for fear of over-thinking instead of over-praying.

I knew what I wanted (marriage) and I was 99% positive I knew God was calling me to marriage. I told God, many times (often in frustration), to just confirm it, already.

Continue reading at Ignitum Today.

Holmes is Home!

Katie Holmes is a Bright Maiden once again!

Barring any creeping skepticism about who signed her up to her new parish in New York City, her publicist or herself, we Bright Maidens are glad to once again see a sister in Christ return to His Church!

When I posted this article about Katie's return to the Church, a few people spoke up and seemed to focus on the description of St. Francis Xavier in NYC, noting that the article mentioned it is "known for inclusive thinking and its welcoming of many gay and lesbian Catholics."

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, NYC

The folks commenting on the Bright Maidens post had good intentions, I'm sure, as the Church teaches against people practicing gay and lesbian lifestyles. The Church does not, however, teach that same sex attraction is a myth. The Church teaches that there may be people with same sex attraction, but just as single people without same sex attraction should practice celibate, chaste lifestyles, so should those with same sex attraction.

As you can probably tell, I was slightly upset by some of the "too bad she picked the wrong church" comments because another BIG FAT teaching of the Church is to be loving and welcoming. If we look at the mission statement from St. Francis Xavier's website instead of the interpretation from the HuffPo author, we read that the parish “strives to be a prophetic, welcoming community, inclusive witness to the presence of Christ Jesus in our midst.”

Uh, that sounds right to me. Of course, we could choose to read into this and believe the church also affirms same sex attraction-indulging lifestyles, which isn't beneficial to the whole person trying to follow Christ. That would be wrong. However, it is correct to welcome everyone.

And I argue that jumping to the "well, yes, she joined the Church again, but she picked a liberal one," is the exact wrong way to welcome anyone back.

Rant over. Carry on.

Monday after Mass, Vol 1

Two little blurbs about my Sabbath Day happenings from yesterday:

I got to go back with the kids during Children's Liturgy of the Word and a girl (who looks EXACTLY like I did as a child) from the CCD class I taught last year ran up to me, put her hand in mine, looked up to me, and said, "I missed you!"

Not my hand, but very sweet

PLUS I went to a second Mass on Sunday afternoon to honor a very *mature* priest who was the campus minister when my parents were in college. He pointed out that everyone needs to stop complaining about the state of their parish and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I LOVE that he was holding all of us accountable.

Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church, Saint Louis, MO

I just like that altar backdrop... What cool things did you witness at Mass yesterday?

Crabcakes and Football

Go to ConversionDiary.com for more!

*1*

Slow and steady wins back their blogging brain.

I have exciting news and I'm going to continue writing quick takes until I decide whether or not to tell you....go ahead and guess.

*2*

Have you listened to the Bright Maidens' interview with Pat Gohn yet?

Click to listen to Part 2

In the first one we discussed a myriad of topics that we believe are important to Catholic young adults. In this, the second one, we spent a great deal of time talking about... sex. And virginity, and recycled virginity, and our identity as such.

It really turns into honest girl talk, so men, if you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of a sleepover, this is your chance.

*3*

Exciting news hint: it is one reason why I have been posting infrequently/not posting. Seriously, try to guess! #CathSorority girls aren't allowed to guess.

*4*

Click to buy it on Amazon

In the last week, I have listened to my church's 1997 recording of our Song of Mark production at least 20 times. It's a stellar musical and I highly recommend buying the CD and/or asking your music minister if they'd consider producing this play at your parish.

I know all of the people with lead roles, so I'm tempted to go to Mass on Monday and embarrass them with compliments about how I have their voices stuck in my head.

One of the children in the production who had a solo is one of my oldest friends and was 10 years old when her beautiful little voice sang the Good News. She now has a three-year-old girl and a month-old baby boy.

Time flies.

*5*

My cousin and her awesome boyfriend had a fun idea for a wedding present with a personal touch. Cousin's-Awesome-Boyfriend salvaged and split a beautiful piece of wood, so that it has a flat surface for painting.

Selfishly, I'm eager to help them because it will help me get back into painting and creating art. They want me to paint a big crab on this, similar to the picture, and insert the words "Crabcakes and football: That's what Maryland DOES!"

My canvas. Wood, I'm turning you into a crab.

What a creative wedding gift! I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it. I'll post some pictures of my progress later.

*6*

My exciting news will compel me to move to a different city. Bittersweet.

I decided I'd reveal my exciting news in its own post. So guess, guess, guess!

*7*

Don't forget to join the Bright Maidens for this week's topic on stay-at-home-moms and working-out-of-the-home moms.

In case you were wondering, we had this one planned before Lent began, so it's a coincidence that the whole Ann Romney/Hilary Rosen thing blew up recently. You're welcome to reflect on that, if you haven't already, but that wasn't our aim.

Trista's post, "On Motherhood"
Lynsey's post, "WOHM vs. SAHM"
Mandi's post, "Stay at Home Mom vs. Working Mom"
Lisa's post, "The Best Job in the World"

OMG[osh], What did she say?!

The Bright Maidens are back and this time we're talking about ... SEX. We discuss sex, virginity, recycled virginity, women, the value of sexuality the value of being a child of God and a brother and sister in Christ, and TOB in terms of respecting life and pro-life issues.

I haven't listened to this week's Among Women podcast all the way through yet, so I'm a little nervous about what Pat Gohn edited in and out. Our conversation for Part 2 was about an hour long, but it's much shorter in the podcast version.

I'm more than a little nervous.

UPDATE: "It's really hard out there. It's really hard. To be a virgin in the 21st century takes heroic courage. It takes the grace of a saint to live the life that we're talking about here." -Pat Gohn

Let me know what you think!! LISTEN HERE. Our part of the interview is about one-third of the way through the podcast.

A fresh, easy DIY gift for a confirmand

I have three books about my patron saint filed in between a prayer book and a biography of JPII. Unfortunately, I've only skimmed through all five of those books on my shelf. I am so grateful to those who gave them to me at my Confirmation, but I wanted to make sure my gift for my confirmand/spons-ee was different.

Here's an idea that came to me in the craft store as I was starting to stress about what to make for my spons-ee (we'll call her Catherine, for her patron, St. Catherine of Bologna): a prayer and letter box. Perhaps you want to put your Pinteresting skills to the test and try this out. Even if you're attending a Confirmation this week, I guarantee you can complete this in only a few hours.
Step 1: What the heck is a prayer and letter box?

I write letters to my future husband. I started a few years ago when my mom suggested it and I have a collection of them in a battered envelope, waiting to be distributed on my wedding night. I also write letters and journal entries to God.

When I passed by those naked wood boxes in the craft store, I immediately decided I would create a box for Catherine to begin a similar tradition. Of course, no pressure Catherine, you can store your earrings in the box I gave you, but I was hoping it might be a spot for any little treasures you might award your husband, your future self, or some of your future sisters (should God call you to the religious life).

It's like a life map in a box!

Unfortunately, I had a brain fart and didn't take a picture of the final product before wrapping it. If Catherine is willing to snap a photo, I will post it.


Step 2: Supply gathering

• Prayers



My box was similar to this

• A small wooden box (I picked one very similar to this)

• Glaze medium for acrylic paint (a color for the box and a color for text)
• Acrylic paint
• Rag
• Thin paint brush
• Fancy schmancy paper
• White school glue
• Confidence that YOU CAHN DOOOO EEEEET!

Step 3: Decoration

Before I did anything with paint, I cut out the fancy schmancy paper so it would fit as a lining in the top and bottom of the inside of the box. It will give it a finished look and prevent you from having to paint the inside!

I chose to mix the glaze medium with the acrylic paint and rub it on with the rag because A) It's more forgiving and faster than painting several coats of a solid color and B) I know Catherine loves the beach and the turquoise color with the wood grain showing through made it appear to belong in a seaside house.

Painter's tip: Wax paper makes for a great palette 

Remember wood shop: Go with the grain. If the grain is running from left to right, rub from left to right. Keep a steady hand and concentrate on avoiding blotchy movements.

I left the inside wood untouched.

Next, patience. See? This project is a prayer journey for you, too! It won't take long to dry if you've used my glaze method.

After it has dried, spread a LITTLE, glue onto the wood where you will place the fancy schmancy paper. We remembered wood shop and now we're remembering preschool: too much glue warps paper. This box doesn't need to stand up to high winds, so a little dab'll do ya.

A little glue around the edge of the paper is wise

Carefully lay the paper onto the wood and smooth. Let that dry and VOILA! You're done with the majority of the box!


Step 4: Inspiration

I grabbed a quote from St. Catherine of Bologna (which I have now forgotten) and chose to run it along the bottom of the box. Note: there aren't many pulled quotes of this particular saint, as I'm sure is the case with other saints. I had to read a few of the letters she wrote to other nuns and brothers, which was spiritually enlightening for me. Oh God, You're a tricky one!

This is the most time-consuming part of the process. If you don't trust your hand with a paint brush and lettering, use a paint pen. If you do try your hand with the paint brush technique, use a fine brush and wash the paint off of it every three to five minutes.

The project before the quote addition.

It seems over the top to wash it that often, but otherwise your brush will clog up and you will get frustrated at your preschooler handwriting (I speak from experience).

Finally, when writing your letter to your confirmand, explain to them why you think it's important to keep prayer in his or her daily life. Tell him or her that many of the saints wrote letters to each other because (SHOCK, AWE) texting was, for the most part, unavailable.

Maybe some teens will actually give this a try. I wish I had one of these filled with letters from a 15-year-old Elizabeth!

Bright Maidens on Among Women, Part 1

Friends, the Bright Maidens have an exciting announcement! The lovely Pat Gohn of Among Women kindly invited the three Bright Maidens (Julie, Trista, and Elizabeth) to sit down with her for the podcast!

As you may know, St. Hildegard of Bingen is the Bright Maidens patron saint, so Pat Gohn shares a great deal of wonderful insight on this powerful saint!

We had so much to discuss that we will be in TWO (count 'em: one, two) podcasts. We get into girl talk, a few points that we believe affect young Catholic women today, and a few... surprises. Check it out! Here is the first installment.

After weeks (centuries) of Catholic oppression...

... the world throws us a bone.

Happy Friday!