How the Catholic Church Helped Me to See My Body as Good

Dear sisters,

I was in second grade when I wrote down my first story. I remember it well, the feeling of the plush green carpet beneath my feet as I made my way into my father’s wood-paneled study. His massive leather-topped desk held my wide-ruled notebook paper and sharpened #2 pencil. I scooted the desk chair up as far as my eight-year-old legs could manage and I began my work. Thirty minutes later, it was done: a sketch and accompanying short story titled “The Adventures of Hamburgerman.”

Letters, Identity, LeadBethany SpringelmeyerFebruary 12, 2020Body image, conversion, searching for truth, Beauty, Going deeper, For Converts Comments

The Bravery of Searching for Christ: A Convert's Story

As a Catholic woman, I feel called to that bravery that brought me to Catholicism in the first place. The bravery of a yes to God no matter what lies on the other side. The bravery of searching with my whole heart. My journey to the Catholic Church was not the end of my pursuit of Christ. In fact, I understand the Sacramental Life to be just the opposite: it’s the perpetual seeking and finding more of the Lord. A way of living where my yes is not only figurative, it’s tangible.

Spirituality, Letters, Church, LeadHannah GrahamOctober 30, 2019Catholic conversion story, conversion, becoming catholic, Catholic woman convert, Advice for new Catholic converts, searching for truth, For Converts Comments

I Am a Christian Because of Others

Letters, Church, Lead, RelationshipHannah GrahamAugust 7, 2019community, Conversion, Catholic conversion story, Belonging in the Church, Loneliness, friendship, For Converts Comment

A Letter of Encouragement to Women Entering the Church This Easter

And yet, four years after my confirmation, I am still finding my way. I am still actualizing my identity as a beloved daughter of God and learning what it means to be a Catholic woman in this broken and beautiful world.