“A few years ago, on a fairly ordinary, cloudy Thursday afternoon, I went to the dentist. The dental hygienist was pleasant enough, and asked the fairly ordinary and benign question, ‘How’s your day going?’ as she rummaged through her supplies. I replied, ‘It’s been alright.’ She nodded without looking up. And in that moment I was flooded with a loneliness I’d never known before.

That morning I had gotten civilly divorced…”

"On January 14, 2017 I married the love of my life in my home parish in Miami. On January 16th we boarded separate flights to our respective cities. He had been working in Boston for 6 months and I was still struggling to finish my PhD in Atlanta."

“…When we are choosing between two goods, it can be difficult to see which path to take. We want to do God’s will; we want to live for Him and follow the path He has laid out for us, but if we come to a fork in the road, and He doesn’t clearly point which way to go, we can get stuck. And I was very, very stuck.”

“‘How are you still single?’ That question really doesn’t make you feel any better, does it?”

“Those with disabilities and their caretakers live every day as champions of intrinsic human worth. Let’s learn from them, join with them, and take steps to expand their space in our Church.”

"I grew up believing I was born to be a Mother. It was not a question or a wonder; it was something I was certain of. But the things I arrive at 46 years old, both with and without, surprising me."

"Community is best when it’s comprised of people who see beauty in our insecurities, who look for the redemption in the midst of our failure, and who strive to love who we truly are instead of who the world suggests we should be."

"...the hardest, transformative experience of my life has been going through a divorce and annulment as a 31 year old Catholic woman..."

"Dear Friend, Never underestimate the healing power of empathy..."

"My dear Sisters, as women there is an undeniable tug on our hearts to love. How we each express this is as numerous as there are women on the earth & in history..."

"To my dear sister: Several summers have since passed, but the moment feels so close that I could reach out and grasp it: the off-kilter fan on her back porch toddled loudly, trying to create a sense of relief from the thickly humid summer air..."

"My dear sisters in Christ, I would like to start this letter by introducing you to my grandmother, Luisa Yanes-Paumier. Born in Santiago de Cuba, she married a Navy sailor & had three daughters. When Fidel Castro came into power..."

"My dear sisters, I have three older brothers. Strong, compassionate, funny and kind, they are one of my greatest blessings. Though close in age to one another, there is a significant age gap between myself and them..."

Thank you Sarah for sharing with us how your grandmother, your boss and Saint Anne have had a substantial impact on your life as a woman. 

In the third and final letter of our Cultivating Sisterhood letter series, writer Lo shares about how a transformative experience she had in one of the most beautiful places on earth lead her to the mission she's on today: to show women their beauty, worth and dignity in Christ

For as long as she can remember, Jenna Guizar has longed for a sister. Someone she could always turn to, always rely on, and always look towards as a source of unconditional love. Through the biggest struggles of her adult life, Jenna has unexpectedly found what she always wanted: sisterhood.

"Dear Sister, many a little girl has dreamt of her wedding day. I never did. I remember so clearly when my day came..."