How I started to write

How I started to write March 3, 2021

Nine years ago, a diocesan meeting was held at Sacred Heart Parish in Warner Robins to discuss various issues with the newly ordained bishop.  Bishop Hartmayer listened attentively to priests and laypeople from throughout the Diocese who worked with immigrant communities.  That same day I received a phone call from Michael Johnson, editor of the Southern Cross which is my diocesan newspaper, and I agreed to write an article about the gathering in both English and Spanish.  A few weeks later, Michael asked me if I was willing to write on a regular basis, and I agreed.

Both my eighth grade and twelfth grade English teachers assigned us to keep a journal.  We could write on whatever topic we wished as long as we wrote.  In college I began to maintain a personal journal, which I have kept on and off for the past twenty years.  Before I was ordained in 2009, I started this blog named Labyrinthine Mind where I shared thoughts from the depths of my mind which oftentimes is like a labyrinth.  The title came from the poem Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson, where he describes God as a persistent hound who never ceases to chase us until we turn to him.  About five years ago, the editor of the Patheos Catholic page, Sam Rocha, contacted me offering me the opportunity to blog at Patheos.  We were college classmates and had kept in touch mostly by reading each other’s articles and posts.  I agreed, so my personal blog Labyrinthine Mind was transferred here to Patheos.  Patheos is currently the largest online site for religious discussions in the world.

I am grateful to the Southern Cross that through it articles have reached thousands of homes and hearts throughout Middle and South Georgia (25,000 households every two weeks to be exact).  As someone who journals, I do not mind spending much energy writing things that no one will ever read, so it gives me great satisfaction to know that people find what I enjoy writing insightful and helpful.  My diocesan newspaper is experiencing a significant change as it modifies its format into a monthly diocesan magazine.  Many dioceses have already made the transition, and I believe a monthly magazine that is also available online better serves the needs of the faithful today.

Even though most communication today happens virtually such as through this website, we must never forget the importance and impact of the written word.  As Christians we are very familiar with the power of the written Word and how it incarnates in the soul. Media has been transformed in the past few decades, and we have yet not seen the end of it, but publishing a written document that can be held and shared continues to have great value.  My hope remains that my writing either here or anywhere else will inspire you the readers to deepen your relationship with Jesus and to strengthen your conviction to live out the Christian life.


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