Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I received a degree in Theology – and a husband! – from Franciscan University of Steubenville and transplanted to the desert of Phoenix, where my husband and I are raising our six kids, ages 20 – 6.
I work as editor of Spiritualdirection.com and part-time as Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation at our parish of St. Thomas the Apostle, where my favorite mornings are spent leading a dynamic group of 40 Catholic women who love learning about and discussing the riches of our Faith.
I’m a writer at heart, and scribble and type in the nooks and crannies of time I can carve out of my busy days. My blog posts here are regularly featured on womenofgrace.com and Catholicmom.com.
In addition, I write monthly reflections on some of my favorite saints for the beautiful Catholic Women’s Apostolate, Endow, and contribute regularly to the National Catholic Register.
To my surprise, the call to write almost immediately blossomed into a speaking ministry, and I embrace the opportunity to talk about the wealth and wisdom of our faith with groups large and small.
I’m an avid reader with an ever-shifting pile of books on every end table in my home, and I love learning – so when I discovered the Avila Institute and its online graduate program in spiritual theology, it was a perfect fit for this mom – although it may take me 27 years to complete, but that’s ok! And I’ll forever be grateful that the Institute led me to an incredibly grounded yet holy group of modern-day apostles in Apostoli Viae, a brand-new Private Association of the Faithful.
What’s in a Name?
Several years ago, while sitting in a cry room at Mass with my toddler at my feet, the words of the Responsorial Psalm shook my soul awake and I knew I was being given a life verse:
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. -Psalm 84:3
When I decided it would be the name for my new blog, it spoke to me of motherhood, of family life within the Church. But what I have come to see is that these Old Testament words are profoundly prophetic, and unearthed, they reveal the truth of humility and the Eucharist. In the Jewish Temple, small birds made their nests close to the Holy of Holies where no one was allowed to approach and they were allowed to remain there simply because of their insignificance.
To become small allows us to approach the Tabernacle with the childlike trust of St. Thérèse, to lay not only our young but also our dreams, hopes, fears, disappointments, and intentions at the Altar of Sacrifice. And that is exactly where I want to find my home, now and in eternity.
Madonna of the Sparrow
