Author Archives: faithfullyirreverent

There are definite perks to working at a Catholic Diocese.  A couple weeks ago, I walked downstairs to the staff lounge and found myself drawn into a conversation with our Director of the Life, Peace & Justice Office and a Franciscan intern regarding the criminal justice system.  Granted maybe not everyone’s idea of a goodContinue reading “History and Current Status of the Death Penalty in the United States”

What others may know as beach reads, I think of palette cleansers.  These are the lighthearted, romantic, typically feminine novels that dull the ache of that last round of dystopian chaos that was read foolheartedly into the wee hours of the morning.  Palette cleansers are gentle escapism – significantly less likely to give one aContinue reading “Palette Cleansers (aka Beach Reads)”

“I’m not really doing Lent this year.  I am already living in the desert.” “I don’t have any enemies but even if I did, I wouldn’t wish divorce upon them.” “I feel like I am walking around my parish with a Scarlet D and that the judgment of others is constant.” These are some ofContinue reading “The Desert of Divorce”

I want to thank the Wanderful community for including my Santa Fe travel guide on their blog. If you have never heard of Wanderful, it is an international community of female travelers who offer travel advice and verified homestays to other female travelers. They also strive to make the travel industry more equitable by elevatingContinue reading “A Wanderful Woman’s Guide to Santa Fe, New Mexico”

There are many perks to living in Southern California – namely that February beach days are a thing.  When we arrived one mid-morning, it was chilly enough to need sweatshirts but the bright sunshine glinted off the sand.  The beach was nearly deserted.  While my husband and I assembled our beach tent, my little guysContinue reading “Stranger on the Beach”

Homemade pizza and wine Standing around the kitchen island. New friends who never knew the life I had. Laughter Is this transition? I think about healing. Obsessively. Compulsively. When is it possible? Certified mail.  Guaranteed. One day I wake up and think about brushing my teeth. Brush. Spit. Wipe. First memory of what I’ve lost.Continue reading “Transition”

During one impactful Holy Week, I had the opportunity to participate in a mission immersion to San Lucas Tolimán, a small community in Guatemala.  After arriving in Guatemala City, we took a bus into the highlands.  As the elevation rose, so did the predominance of bright, colorful clothing.  The people of San Lucas Tolimán areContinue reading “Gallo”

The Grotto Network published my article reflecting about love and marriage in the context of growing up amid divorce.  The follow-up piece will be published in a few months and will basically be my advice to a young adult whose parents have recently divorced.  If you are not familiar with The Grotto Network, it isContinue reading “What I Learned About Relationships as a Child of Divorce”

In the bottom of an old pond lived some grubs who could not understand why none of their group ever came back after crawling up the stems of the lilies to the top of the water. They promised each other that the next one who was called to make the upward climb would return and tellContinue reading “Dragonflies”

As milestones go, one’s 20th High School Reunion hardly seems significant compared to the funerals, weddings, graduation, etc. affected by this virus. And yet, milestone it was. Reunions often seem to prompt some kind of mild (or full-on crisis-level) identity crisis.  Is this who I wanted to become?  No offense to my 18 year-old self,Continue reading “Slow Fade of Friendship”