This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte. We live in a culture today that is over-saturated with all forms of media. Technology has provided an abundance of physical devices, such as smart phones, tablets and computers, not to mention the variety of video game systems and televisions. These devices give us near-constant access to social media, news outlets, games, movies and online videos. Reading devices and apps can give you an endless supply of books to read, from the latest bestsellers to the classics of great literature. On my current e-reader, I can carry a library of hundreds of books with me wherever I go, and I can download a new book at any given moment without waiting. This past year has been difficult for so many, and the proliferation of media has added its own dimension to our experience. I’ve talked with many friends and family members who have had to take breaks from their social media accounts because they were feeling overwhelmed from the sheer volume of news and people’s personal opinions about the crisis in the world. As a result, a common theme of discussion lately has been the books or television shows that people are binging on to distract themselves from current events – and there certainly is enough variety from which to choose. I’ve heard it frequently opined about the number of new shows and movies out there to watch on various streaming services, yet there simply isn’t enough time for them all. It...

This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte. There are many amazing saints named Catherine recognized by the Catholic Church; but I am not named after any of them. I was named after one of my mother’s aunts, and my spelling of Kathryn is more typical among Protestants than it is among Catholics. Spelling variations aside though, it is still inspiring to look at some of the amazing women throughout history whose name I share. The first Catherine that might come to mind for most is St. Catherine of Siena, that well-known mystic and Doctor of the Church, who had so much influence with the popes of her time despite being a young woman who lived only to the age of 33. Another might be St. Catherine of Alexandria, a virgin martyr of the early Church who also later appeared in visions to St. Joan of Arc to give her counsel. However, my own favorite Catherine was a modest nun who belonged to the Daughters of Charity in France, an order founded by St. Vincent de Paul. This Catherine was so quiet and humble that for most of her life only her own confessor knew how God and the Virgin Mary had blessed her and shown her favor. St. Catherine Labouré was 9 years old when her mother died. Sorrowfully, St. Catherine turned for comfort to the Virgin Mary, declaring, “Now, dear Blessed Mother, you will be my mother.” Later, as a young nun in the convent, Our Lady personally appeared to St. Catherine; while they talked, St. Catherine rested...

This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte I love to read about the lives of different saints and to see the great variety of people that God has loved and called to serve Him – from the battle-tested St. Joan of Arc to the “Little Way” of St. Therese of Lisieux to the humble yet famous St. Teresa of Calcutta, and from the vibrant St. Francis of Assisi to the studious St. Thomas Aquinas to the charismatic St. John Paul II. Throughout the ages of Christianity, there have been saints who are kings and queens, and there have been saints barely known in their own towns while they were alive. There have been warrior saints and child saints and those who simply raised their families while loving God. There have been saints of every nation and color, and of every demographic and social class. The saints are held up to us as examples, and they come in vast varieties because God created us with great diversity so that, while we are all part of one Body, the Body of Christ, we might also serve in our different roles as the limbs of that Body. Even in all our diversity of personalities and temperaments and backgrounds, the greatest examples that we can all look to are the saints of the New Testament, those whom were closest and most beloved to Our Lord Jesus, whom God chose from throughout the ages to witness and partake of His time on earth: the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and the Apostles. In the humble and quiet lives of...

This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte Sometimes the right book finds you just when you need it the most. I had not heard of Julian of Norwich before this past year, when her book “Revelations of Divine Love” was assigned for the Well-Read Mom book club, a national community with small groups all over the country (wellreadmom.com.) While I am not a mom myself, the ladies of the local group warmly welcomed me into their ranks for discussions of books, family life and our faith. In the year and a half since I joined them, I have fallen in love with several books through them that I might never have encountered or made time for otherwise. “Revelations of Divine Love” has certainly been one of the greater gifts I have received so far. This book was intentionally selected to be read during Lent, but none of us knew how unique this particular Lent would be or how much we would need the reminder of God’s divine love. In the late 14th century, Julian of Norwich was given visions of Christ’s Passion, during which God spoke to her and conveyed deep insights into His love and mercy. Julian was only 30 years old when she received these visions and spent many years mediating upon them before writing it all down. Julian was also living during a time when England and the rest of Europe was being ravaged by plague, famine and social unrest. By the mid-1300s, the Black Death was sweeping through Europe, and an estimated one-third...