Damien of Molokai has long been one of my favorite Saints. He was a Belgian priest who worked as a missionary in Hawaii. Upon learning that there were no priests and no sacraments available to a colony of lepers, knowing he would never be allowed to return, he moved to the island to serve the people himself. He eventually died of the disease, earning him the status of a “martyr of charity.” Last week, Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez caused an uproar... Read more
Theater is a lagging art form. Unlike music, crafts, and dance, theater does not take root in a society until it reaches a certain level of stability. As my undergrad theater history professor somewhat flippantly, but very effectively explained, “If you’re being chased by a bear you don’t stop and make a play.” We’re not exactly being chased by bears in summer 2020, but the general premise still applies. We’re not running, we’re hiding. And while isolation is a fantastic environment... Read more
Scrupulosity is an ongoing struggle for me and for many Christian woman I speak to. It’s not unusual for me to go to Confession and be told that whatever sin I am struggling with is not in fact a sin at all. During the pandemic, my tendency to over-think and over-moralize has worsened. Lack of clear guidelines, scientific consensus, and politicization of simple things like masks leave much of the moral decision-making up to individuals. For people struggling with anxiety... Read more
St. Mary Magdalene was the first person to believe in the resurrection of Christ. One could argue that makes her the very first Christian. was the first person to believe in the resurrection of Christ. One could argue that makes her the very first Christian. She is known as the apostle to the apostles, because she told them of Christ’s resurrection. We celebrate all of these things on her feast day July 22nd. But the one thing she is most... Read more
This weekend, my best friend, K, married the love of her life in a beautiful ceremony at the chapel of our Alma Mater. It was not exactly the wedding day she planned for or dreamed about. But it was filled with joy, love, and cute matching face masks. Because I was the Matron of Honor, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the celebration. I want to dedicate this post to K and J and their beautiful new... Read more
Human Dignity has never been a basic tenet of our society. Perhaps this is because we do not know what it is. On Tuesday, Daniel Lee became the first person in seventeen years to be executed by the Federal Government. The execution took place overnight, after four-hours of legal back-and-forth, during which he remained strapped to a gurney. Then, the executioner shot poison into his veins. They did this in the name of the American people. Daniel Lee is not... Read more
Here in New York City, Catholic laypersons have been returning to Mass. At my parish, every other pew is roped off. We sit obediently on the little blue X’s taped out on the available pews, two-by-two. Larger families can sit on the side of Church. There is no holy water, but there is hand sanitizer dispensed from two highly coveted dispensers that took weeks to arrive. We wear masks and wave politely during the sign of peace. We’re happy to... Read more
We’ve come to the final installment of my series The Porn Industry is Gaslighting Us. Before I dive into this piece, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has stuck with me for the past two months. This topic raises a lot of feelings for a lot of people, including myself. I especially appreciate those who have disagreed fervently, but have continued to engage with my work. I sincerely hope you stick around. To be honest, I’m... Read more
The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday. (Sorry Christmas lovers, your holiday is cold and stressful.) I love high summer, warm nights, fireworks, barbecues, and swimming in the Ohio River. I love music and dancing and, yes, perhaps one beer too many. I’ll even accept a few country songs, but on this day only. This year, naturally, the celebration was a bit different. This was good, for safety reasons but also because it gave me space to... Read more
This is the penultimate installment of my series The Porn Industry is Gaslighting Us, and it’s time for things to start getting personal. Thus far, we’ve debated over ideas such as marketing to children, addiction, availability, and whether the industry is empowering to women. But I’ve relied mostly on research and other people’s stories. The question of whether porn is private is about interpersonal relationships. This is where most of my personal pain around pornography has derived from, the impetus... Read more
Femina Ferox
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In