ESSAYS

taking kids to church

Almost Heaven

By Krista Steele | September 16, 2024

James doesn’t want to go to Mass. At two and a half he doesn’t want to do most things, even the things he actually does want to do. “I not want to go to CHURCH!” His words start in a growl and end in a scream that echoes down my spine.What do I say to…

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motherhood amidst racism

A New Decade Dawns: Celebrating a Child’s Birthday with the Weight of the World

By Wendy Cichanski Caduff | August 12, 2024

The house is quiet, except for the clothes thumping in the dryer. Everyone is sleeping as we approach the midnight hour. The decorations are up. The friend party has been celebrated, and the family party is next. Cakes are ordered, recipes are chosen, groceries are purchased, gifts are wrapped. In another half hour, our son…

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women who mother

Grandmothers, Saints, and Group Chats: The Women Who Mother Us Through Motherhood

By Shannon Wimp Schmidt | August 6, 2024

As a disciple of Jesus and a mother, I am surrounded by a cloud of biblical witnesses who, as mothers like me, lead me to the author and perfecter of faith (cf Hebrews 12:1). An undertaking as momentous as motherhood must be a team sport. Not only is the necessity of community and connection for…

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motherhood amidst racism

Dear Neighbor: I Know You Don’t Want Me Here

By Neidy Hess | June 17, 2024

The leaves fell from the sentinel-like silver maple trees that lined our streets. What were they guarding exactly? I’m not sure. But I loved them the second I saw them. November arrived, and with it, the promise of snow. Everyone retreated inside their homes while we, the new kids on the block, looked out the…

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trusting God's presence

When We Have No Answers, Only Presence

By Rebecca Smyth | June 10, 2024

I run down the stairs to our living room after bedtime with hot, angry tears caught in the back of my throat, purposely stepping on all of the forbidden creaky spots—a personal act of defiance. I barge into the room where my husband Paddy is alone and planted in the middle of the floor. We…

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ancestors and motherhood

Marrow: The Memory in Our Bones

By Sharifa Stevens | June 3, 2024

My mother is almost 80 years old. She still remembers her brothers. One dear child she held in her arms. She remembered his face. A beautiful child. He died at three weeks, and though she doesn’t remember why, I suspect it may have been the holes in the shack in which they all lived, an…

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holding tight to love

Forget the Highlight Reel: We’ve Got To Go Through It

By Kathryn Whitaker | May 27, 2024

In a few weeks, the college-aged young adults return home.  Some are simply sleeping here for a few nights before making a cameo appearance at the dinner table in between groomsmen duties and friend visits. Another is crashing here for two weeks before a summer-long internship, and another has staked her claim in the empty…

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rising motherhood

The Rising Dough of Motherhood

By Tara McMullen | April 29, 2024

One Sunday morning, I woke up motivated. Mass at our parish is at 10:30, and with two toddlers, we can squeeze in almost an entire day before then, so after coffee was poured, muffins were distributed, and grapefruit was segmented, I started to make a loaf of bread to serve with dinner so it could…

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courage rooted in God

Mothers, Daughters, and Their Stories of Courage

By Kimberly Knowle-Zeller | April 23, 2024

I rise before the sun each day, before anyone else in the house wakes. I pour the first cup of hot coffee and grab a blanket to greet the morning on the porch. Beside me lie my Bible, pen and journal, and whatever devotional or book of poetry I’m reading. My spirit is soothed by…

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teaching our kids to notice God

Am I Doing This Right? Crosses, Questions, and Awe in Creation

By Stephanie Cherpak Clary | April 15, 2024

“What’s that?” my 5-year-old asks, pointing to a ceramic cross above the bedroom door at my parents’ house as I lie down next to him to help him fall asleep. “It’s a cross,” I reply matter-of-factly, with a pang of guilt that I apparently haven’t done a good enough job at catechizing my child for…

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parenting young adults

Too Big to Be Told: Parenting Young Adults

By Jenni Ho-Huan | April 8, 2024

Even when they were small, I was nervous that time would march relentlessly on and I would find myself where I am today: my kids ready to fly the coop and me, unready. This April, a tall, sincere, young man asked for my daughter’s hand. My social media went frenzied, and everyone asked how I…

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lightened grasp on parenting

Letting Go of My Own Way

By Lauren Nizol | March 25, 2024

My teenage son finally gave in to the sleep that he so badly needed, literally collapsing onto his bedroom floor while it was still light out. As the morning alarms went off, I crept to his room and could see he was stirring.  A sense of relief washed over me like those early days when…

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