Thanks to the Anchoress!

October 24, 2011 By lisahendey

As the day draws to a close, I want to thank Elizabeth Scalia for her kind hospitality in welcoming me to spend a day here in her warm cozy blog space. I know you readers will be thrilled to have the Queen back firmly ensconced on her throne tomorrow, but I thank you all for your warm welcome and for the great interactions we’ve shared in this space today. If you’d like to connect with me in the future, please feel free to visit CatholicMom.com any time (even if you’re not Catholic, or not a mom!) and to find me on Facebook and Twitter. I do hope you’ll also take a look at my new book A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul and that you’ll enjoy an ever deepening relationship with the communion of saints. I look forward to interacting with you here in the comboxes in the future and again send love and blessings to The Anchoress for her friendship and support.

Filed Under: Bookchat, Saints Tagged With: ,

The view from the pew

October 24, 2011 By lisahendey

When big news breaks as it did today with the release of “Toward Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority” by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, I sometimes pause to think about the majority of the Catholics I know.

While we in the blogosphere are running from Twitter to Facebook to the blogs in search of informed perspectives, I’d venture to say that most of the folks sitting near us in the pews have no idea that such a Vatican document has even been released.

This perspective became very clear to me during a recent speaking engagement I had. I was meeting with a group of parents for their “whole family catechesis” night of education while their children were off in their religious education classrooms. The topic that night was “Saints” — obviously something very near and dear to my heart. The group assembled were a variety of ages and life stages, married (or not) and mostly with relatively young children. All had given up an evening at home on a busy weeknight after a full day of work to be at church with their children. They were attentive, tuned in and obviously very caring about the faith formation of their little ones — but also their own as well.

About midway through the talk, something made me think of some of the recent and very high profile “priest situations” we’ve been facing in the Church. I made a reference during my talk about Father Frank Pavone and Priests for Life. The comment was met with blank stares, a total absence of recognition. I then asked the group outright, “Has anyone ever heard of Father Frank Pavone?” Nothing.

To further test the situation, I asked, “How about Father John Corapi. John Corapi — anyone?” Again, nothing.

“Wow,” I thought to myself. “Imagine how much time and energy has been spent in the Catholic blogosphere the past few months discussing not only these two men, but other similar situations and these people are completely unaware.”

The truth of the matter is that being “up to date” on much of these news is absolutely no indication of the level of commitment to one’s faith. I often think that if I spent the time I fritter away online praying instead, the state of my soul would be much better.

My point? Much will be made this week about this new Vatican document. We can, and should, inform ourselves about what the Pontifical Council has stated and not rely on the news media to translate the documents for us. But we also need to work daily — each in our own “Little Ways” — towards the end goal of that work: an increased attentiveness toward the “common good”. My challenge to myself is not only to find time to read (or at least read about) the document from reliable sources, but then to take that knowledge and to make change in my own little corner of the world.

Pat asked earlier this morning that I speak about a few of the saints I cover in A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms who have made a difference in my life. I still intend to do that in the hours I have remaining here at Elizabeth’s place. At the moment, the one who comes to mind is St. Katharine Drexel, who employed her personal resources and placed her life of luxury on hold to minister in a very hands on way to the poor and disenfranchised around her. It was this pioneering missionary who stated:

“If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to him and to them. Let us open wide our hearts. It is Joy that invites us. Press forward and fear nothing.”

For me, on a day such as this, these words remain a call to action.

 

Filed Under: Saints Tagged With: ,

Living the Faith in My Corner of California

October 24, 2011 By lisahendey

In the comments below, Manny invited me to say a few words about living as a faithful Catholic in the state of California. I’ll state up front that I’m not a political blogger, nor am I qualified to making sweeping defenses of every issue on the plate. But I can respond — at least from one mom’s perspective — to Manny’s question, “Is California as anti Catholic (or anti religious in general) as it seems?”

California is a big, diverse and beautiful melting pot of a state, just as in many ways our Church engenders those same qualities. I grew up in Southern California, educated at amazing Catholic schools in Orange County that were built by families who cared about passing along their faith to their children. After a stint at Notre Dame and graduate school at Vanderbilt University, my husband and I resettled in Los Angeles during his residency. When that training was finished, we moved to our home here in Fresno, which is situated in California’s Central Valley.

Since we’ve lived in Fresno for over eighteen years, I feel best equipped to share a bit on what it’s like to be Catholic in my part of the state. Admittedly, the Valley is likely more conservative politically than those who live north and south of us. I’d also call my home town very religious, although we have a diverse population of faith families sharing our community. The earliest records of the Diocese record the arrival of Blessed Junipero Serra and his companions in 1770. In the Jubilee year of 2000, the Diocese reported over 325,000 Catholics being served by 82 active priests. My home diocese stretches over multiple counties and encompasses a broad part of the center of our state.

I’ll share with you just a few thoughts on actively living out my faith in my home state:

  • Being Catholic in California means valuing the diversity of our population. In my home parish, I can attend Mass in a variety of languages (including Latin) and I count as friends folks from many ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This means learning in new and every evolving ways about the beauty of being one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
  • Being Catholic in California means having to actively teach my children (who have attended public high schools) about things I didn’t encounter until my college years. But honestly, I am sure that the same conversations are happening in homes all over the country as our youngsters encounter “adult” topics at an ever younger age. Since we’ve chosen an educational environment for our sons that exposes them to real world issues, it is our responsibility and duty to be constantly tuned in, discussing, and praying with and for them.
  • Being Catholic in California means being able to drive a stretch of highway that in fifteen minutes takes me from wealthy families living in million dollar mansions to migrant families living in shacks. Being Catholic here means not being able to turn a blind eye to the very real needs of the poor, and it means constantly challenging myself to look at how I can do more to love and serve them in my own little corner of the world.

Obviously, this list could go on and on. For the sake of conversation, I’d like to ask each of you what “Being Catholic” in your corner of the world looks like — what are the challenges you and your family face each day in living out your commitment to your faith?

Filed Under: Saints Tagged With: , ,

Catholic First

October 24, 2011 By lisahendey

In the comments below, my good friend Lisa Schmidt (of the wonderful blog The Practicing Catholic) posed the following query:

Archbishop Chaput recently issued (in part) the following statement: “We should see ourselves as Catholic first — not white or black, or young or old, or Democrat or Republican, or labor militant or business owner, but Catholic first as the main way we identify ourselves. Our faith should shape our lives, including our political choices.” One of the many things I admire about you is your ability to take what could be and have been controversial issues within our Church and pose them in a respectful Catholic-first, Catholic-forward manner. Does the Archbishop’s statement resonate with you? Do you consciously attempt to approach your work in this manner?

I love Lisa’s question because it opens a conversation we can (and should) all ponder together. Lisa quotes from an interview Archbishop Chaput gave to the National Review in response to a question about what it means to “vote Catholic”. But as both you and Archbishop Chaput note, Lisa, this “Catholic-first” quality isn’t simply about our important actions in the voting box. I don’t mean to discount elections, but the truth is that our Catholicity happens every day of our lives, in even the smallest of decisions we make.

Some of my friends know that the origins of my CatholicMom.com website happened in late 1999 and early 2000, when we Catholics were being called to the New Evangelization. In my personal life, I was in love with the world’s most amazing husband and doing my very best to faith-parent my two sons. Since Greg (said husband) wasn’t Catholic at that time, the burden of being “domestic church” fell squarely on my shoulders and though I’d been a lifelong Catholic, I went looking for help online. The resultant growth of a site dedicated to helping families live out our faith all seven days of the week has been a work of the Holy Spirit. It’s also meant that people often think my last name is “from CatholicMom.com”. I don’t shy away from that moniker — I’ve worn it proudly through good times and bad in the last eleven years, and I’m fairly certain that when my “real world” friends see me, they immediately think, “There’s Lisa, my Catholic friend.” And it’s also likely that this perception of theirs colors the way they interact with me.

Lisa, your question has me pondering the life of St. Margaret Clitherow, one of the 40 English Martyrs whose lives we celebrate this week on their October 25th feast day.  A Catholic wife and mother and a shrewd businesswoman, Margaret was “Catholic first” at a time when doing so meant grave danger. Married to a non-Catholic spouse, Margaret raised her children in the faith and so loved the Eucharist that she harbored priests and held secret masses in her home. Imprisoned for her crimes, she took the opportunity to study Latin and the gospels, never backing down from her commitment to her faith. She paid the ultimate price for her convictions — a death penalty which sentenced her to death by crushing. St. Margaret went to her death with the words, “I die for the love of my Lord Jesu” on her lips.

It’s unlikely that I’ll ever be called to stand up for my faith as St. Margaret Clitherow and her fellow martyrs were called to do. But every day, in big and little ways, you and I are called to be “Catholic first” in the context of our daily lives. In the voting box, but also in our living rooms, at the market, in the workplace and alongside sporting fields… I pray daily and often through the intercession of St. Margaret Clitherow for the grace and strength to live up to that responsibility.

Question for you: What does being “Catholic first” look like in your world? What challenges do you face in standing up for the faith?

Filed Under: Saints Tagged With: , ,

Caritas En Route to Turkey

October 24, 2011 By lisahendey

Being a Californian, earthquakes around the world tend to catch my attention. Today, as we pray for the souls of those impacted by a devastating magnitude 7.2 quake in eastern Turkey, it’s good to know that Caritas International is already responding to the needs of those impacted. From the Caritas blog:

Caritas will assess the needs of people whose homes or livelihoods have been impacted by the quake. Access to the area’s villages, where many mud-brick homes have collapsed, may be difficult. Caritas Europa is in contact with the Caritas team in Turkey and will receive updates as the assessment progresses.

When disaster strikes a world away, I find it helpful to know that we can respond immediately with even a humble donation and know that our support will go to aid those most in need. To support the victims of this quake by making a secure donation to Caritas click here. For information on their response efforts, follow Caritas on Facebook or Twitter.

A question for you: When disasters strike around the world, how do you and your family typically respond — donations to a Catholic  or international relief agency, offering of masses and prayers, or simply a private thought and prayer? Also, do you make a point of discussing these types of events with your family?

 

 

Filed Under: Quoting the News Tagged With: , ,

Greetings from the West

October 24, 2011 By lisahendey

Hello fans and friends of The Anchoress and a huge thanks to my friend Elizabeth for inviting me to take the helm for the day here at one of my favorite blogs! Like you, I’m a longtime follower of Elizabeth’s work, so being here and having the opportunity to interact with you in her space is indeed a joy. As I line up my thoughts for the day, I thought I would invite you to pose a few questions or comments below on any topics you’d like to see discussed today. Those can be related to faith topics, the news of the day, to popular culture, or even personal questions for me.

To give you a bit of context, I’m a Catholic wife and mom of two sons. My husband Greg, an Emergency Medicine physician, is a convert to the faith. Son Eric is a sophomore at Harvard and my wonderful Adam is a junior in high school. I am the founder of CatholicMom.com, which isn’t just for Catholics or even just for moms. Elizabeth is helping me to celebrate the launch of my new book, A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. Personally, I’m a cradle Catholic, a major geek and loving all things New Media, a Notre Dame grad (licking her wounds from a football trouncing this weekend), and love spending time in the company of family and friends.

I’ll be back soon to pose our first discussion topic of the day, but until then I invite you to send your thoughts and comments via the comments below. I hope you’ll also join me in continued prayers for Kitty and again thanks to Elizabeth for her hospitality.

Filed Under: Bookchat