"Dear Sisters in Christ, there is much more to life than meets the eye – a saying we all hear, but don’t comprehend until we have the opportunity to look back..."

Letters, VocationCorynne StaresinicNovember 15, 2017Catholic stay at home mom, Family and work, Danielle HeckenkampComment

Being a Mom with Bipolar Disorder

"My name is Chelsea, I am 30 years old, mother to three little girls. As I write this I am watching my oldest play on the porch. It's a warm, spring day. She's singing and playing with sticks in the sunshine. It's a beautiful moment..."

Letters, Motherhood, IdentityCorynne StaresinicNovember 15, 2017Catholic motherhood Bipolar disorder, Catholic mothers who inspire, Mental Health, Bipolar Disorder, Mental and Physical Health, Well-being, Motherhood Comments

Finding Freedom in the Confessional

"Dear friend, As women living in a massively confusing culture, perhaps we are particularly susceptible to low self-esteem and, worse, self-hatred..."

Letters, SpiritualityCorynne StaresinicNovember 8, 2017Self-Hatred, Confession, Catholic confession, Freedom Comments

Nothing is Ever Wasted

"Dear Friend, I am writing to you who feel, or have ever felt, unworthy, unloved, misunderstood, alone, or adrift..."

Letters, ChurchCorynne StaresinicNovember 1, 2017Saint John Paul II, New Feminism, New Evangelization Women, Christine Baglow, Belonging Comments

The Church Needs You

"Dear Sister, I write to you from a bed and breakfast in Portland, Maine. It is 7 am, and I am in that lovely time between waking up and sitting down to breakfast (which is my favorite meal)..."

Letters, Church, LeadCorynne StaresinicOctober 25, 2017Letter to Artists, catholic artists, Belonging Comments

Growing in Empathy Through Nursing

"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..."

Letters, Relationship, NurtureCorynne StaresinicOctober 18, 2017nursing, catholic nurses, Catholic empathy Comment

Why I Stayed in the Catholic Church

"Dear Sister, I’ve been attracted to women since I was 15. Men were a little earlier. Everybody’s got something, eh?"

Letters, RelationshipCorynne StaresinicOctober 11, 2017Same Sex Attraction, LGBTQ/Same-Sex Attraction, SSA, Staying Catholic Comments

A Love as Strong as Death

"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..."

Letters, SpiritualityCorynne StaresinicSeptember 27, 2017Death, Redemptive Suffering, Alzheimer's, My Vocation is Love, Redemptive Suffering and Death, Community & Family Comments

Take Time to Dream

"Dear Sister, What is your deepest desire? Take a moment to close your eyes and remember when you experienced a moment of freedom, of pure bliss, that flash in time..."

Letters, VocationCorynne StaresinicSeptember 20, 2017Female Entrepreneur, Following Christ, Catholic entrepreneur, Elise Crawford, Elise Crawford Gallagher, Career Comment

My Abuela, Mary and Femininity

"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..."

Letters, IdentityCorynne StaresinicSeptember 13, 2017Cuba, Fidel Castro, Immigrant, Abuela, Marianna Flores, Race & ImmigrationComment

Veiling as a Sign of My Love to God

Dear lovely Sisters, 'Every time we go to Mass we renew our vows to Jesus.' This fundamental truth became a reality in my life the moment I knelt the at the communion rail about to receive the Eucharist in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass...

Letters, FaithCorynne StaresinicSeptember 6, 2017Latin Mass, Veiling, Catholic veiling, Alyssa Duet, Spiritual Practices Comment

Learning Sisterhood from My Brothers

"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..."

Letters, RelationshipCorynne StaresinicAugust 30, 2017Siblings, Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Sarah Malone, Community & Family Comments

What These Literary Heroines Taught Me About Transition

Dear Ladies, I’ve found the past four years since I graduated college have been a series of changes, moves, and career climbing.

Letters, IdentityCorynne StaresinicAugust 23, 2017Jane Austen, Anne Elliot, Helen Hunt Jackson, LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Literary Heroines, Identity Comments

Our Lady and the Healing of Our Daughter

"Dear sisters, it was the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I was 20 weeks pregnant, working full time, my husband a masters student. We were preparing to enter the Church, and facing a lot of opposition to our decision..."

Letters, Motherhood, IdentityCorynne StaresinicAugust 16, 2017Mary, Catholic convert, Shannon Lacy, Community & Family Comments

To the Women Who Have Shown Me God's Love - A Letter from Sarah

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.

Letters, RelationshipCorynne StaresinicAugust 9, 2017Catholic sisterhood, Sisterhood, Community & Family Comment

To the Woman Who Feels Alone in Her Vocation

Let’s cut to the chase: I’ve found, in recent years, that being a wife and mother can be extremely lonely.

Letters, Motherhood, IdentityCorynne StaresinicAugust 2, 2017Motherhood, Catholic motherhood, Loneliness, Community & Family Comments

Healing from Relationship Anxiety

If I’ve learned anything in the last two years in my struggle with anxiety, it’s that life isn't wrapped up in a little bow, easy to understand or accept. It's much, much messier.

Letters, Identity, ReceiveCorynne StaresinicJuly 26, 2017Therese Bussen, Catholicism and Anxiety, Anxiety, Mental Health, The Catholic Church and Mental Health, Catholic Engagement, Womanhood, Mental health Comments

Seeking Beauty in the Women Around Me

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

Letters, IdentityCorynne StaresinicJuly 21, 2017The Catholic Church, Cultivating sisterhood, Catholic sisterhood, Sisterhood, Seeking beauty catholic woman, Austria, Franciscan University, Beauty, IdentityComment

Bringing My Faith to Others Through Art

In the second letter of our Cultivating Sisterhood short-series, Sara reminds us that no matter who we are or where we go, we can always bring a little bit of the Church with us to others using our unique gifts & talents.