The world is a dark place these days. Just watching the news or skimming the headlines can leave you with a queasy feeling in your stomach and a sense of hopelessness. The darkness reaches into every corner of society, and this past year, it's become painfully clear that it has poisoned organizations and relationships that…
Since today is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, it seems like a fitting time to follow up on my "Do Women Rule?" blog post. In that post, I explored the Catholic Church's teaching on women and authority and concluded that, while the ministerial priesthood is reserved for men, the Church encourages women to…
Last week, I told you that my next post would be a follow-up on "Do Women Rule?" with an in-depth look at examples of feminine leadership. At the time, I had in mind a piece that would examine the lives of some awesome female saints, and I still plan to write that post. However, given…
Continue reading ➞ Amy Coney Barrett: A Lesson in Leadership
I've heard it a million times: "Catholics don't think women can have authority." I've heard it from Catholics and non-Catholics, people who agree with this supposed position and those who don't. There are a million variations on the same theme. And I get it--Catholics often don't do a great job of explaining why the priesthood…
Sitting down to write a blog post in honor of St. Joan of Arc's feast day is a somewhat daunting task, I've discovered. Part of me is tempted to forgo it altogether. There are plenty of excuses standing between me and my keyboard: I've written a post on her before, there is so much literature…
One of my all-time favorite quotes, from one of my all-time favorite saints. Edith Stein (her religious name was Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, but she is still called by her birth name more often than not) is an incredible saint, and if you don't know her story, I strongly suggest you learn more about…
Finding a true friend is tough. Keeping one is even harder. So often, we forge friendships in high school, college, work, etc., only to move to the other side of the country a few years later. Keeping these friendships strong from afar can be challenging, but it is oh-so-important. Aristotle wisely wrote, "Friendship is a…
Continue reading ➞ Keeping Friendships Alive (Even From Afar)
"Dream big." How many times have we seen this phrase blazoned across an inspirational poster or repeated ad nauseam by a coach or teacher? Yet how many of us have really taken the time to stop and think about what this means? Depending on the context, it can seem like a trite and meaningless phrase.…
Around this time every year, our minds turn to those who are less fortunate. In the spirit of Christmas, we renew our commitment to helping the poor, the oppressed, and the lonely. Plus, on a practical level, the end of the year is a great time to take stock of our finances and figure out…
Continue reading ➞ The New Feminist’s Guide to End-of-Year Giving
I got hooked on coffee long before I got hooked on prayer. Prayer has always been a part of my life, since I have always been serious about my faith, but for a long time prayer was relegated to Sunday Mass, blessings before meals, and the occasional prayer of petition. Even after I began to…
The New Feminist 