My Secret is Mine
“Secretum meum mihi,” (“my secret is mine.”) was St. Edith's Stein's cryptic response when her best friend asked why she converted. We serve up interviews, historical sketches, Bible studies, book reviews and essays for Catholic women. MY SECRET IS MINE is for women with an audacious hope: that the Messiah makes all things new.
Meet Amanda Schrauth, Consecrated Virgin
MEET AMANDA SCHRAUTH by Genevieve Kineke Amanda Schrauth is the only consecrated virgin in Montana and serves as the editor ofThe Lamp,the newsletter for the U.S. Association of Consecrated Virgins. She lives out her vocation of prayer for the Church just south of the Canadian border in the Diocese of Helena. She holds a B.A. in Theology from Marian University (WI) and a Masters in Catechetics and Evangelization from Franciscan University of Steubenville. (Here is a link to support her...
Virgin AND Mother. No apologies needed.
VIRGIN AND MOTHER. NO APOLOGIES NEEDED. by Kristen West McGuire If we let Hollywood tell the tale, virginity is really odd. Scores of television shows and movies heap contempt on virgins. Comedians stack laughlines on the premise that virginity is a situation in need of a remedy. Negative stereotypes are everywhere. Social media and TMI videos only normalize the crass and banal attacks on persons who refuse to treat their sexuality like a recreational sport. Virgins were often killed in the...
Learn: Margaret Mary's Mother
Margaret Mary's Mother by Kristen West McGuire Happy Thanksgiving! Today, we ask the Sacred Heart of Jesus to bless this nation and all families as they gather together and serve one another. You might enjoy this prayer by St. Margaret Mary: Lord Jesus,let my heart never rest until it finds You,who are its center, its love, and its happiness.By the wound in Your heartpardon the sins that I have committedwhether out of malice or out of evil desires.Place my weak heart in your own divine...
Book Review: Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy
FIVE FOR SORROW, TEN FOR JOY - a novel by Rumer Godden Reviewed by Margaret McGuire Life is, inescapably, made of joys and sorrows. But what happens when a life appears to be all sorrow? Rumer Godden hints at the answer in the title of her book, Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, a reference to the mysteries of the Rosary. Five mysteries for sorrow, and, combining the Joyful and Glorious mysteries, ten for joy. The title does, and does not, prepare us to meet our protagonist Lise Fanshawe, who was...
Pray for Women Affected by Cancer
PRAY FOR WOMEN AFFECTED BY CANCER by Kristen West McGuire When a sister in Christ has cancer, our hearts ache to help, yet we often feel lost about what to do. Receive the wisdom of those who’ve walked this path before you. The quiet gift of presence is the most powerful offering you can make. Cancer can be isolating. Treatment may require frequent travel and affect immunity, so in-person visitors may be restricted. Opt for frequent, brief notes, calls, or visits. A two-minute phone call or a...
Study: John 11:19-36 - Jesus Wept with the Women
JESUS WEPT WITH THE WOMEN by Kristen West McGuire John 11:19-36 19 And many of the Jews were come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, as soon as she heard that Jesus had come, went to meet him: but Mary sat at home. 21 Martha therefore said to Jesus: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But now also I know that whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith to her: Thy brother shall rise again. 24...
Meet Charna Seibert, Apostle of Joy
MEET CHARNA SEIBERT by Genevieve Kineke Charna Ophus Seibert was born and raised on a small farm in northern Montana. She is the middle child of 11 children—and points to her saintly mother as the wellspring of her Catholic faith. Her basketball career included winning championships at the state level in high school, and a 1993 NAIA national championship. She worked in sales, marketing and banking before retiring to care for her son. When her son was nine months old, she was diagnosed with...
Essay: Jesus Talks to the Women
JESUS TALKS TO THE WOMEN by Kristen West McGuire It is hard for us to understand how radical Jesus was during his life on earth. Men and women mingle all the time in our culture, in homes, offices, and churches. Women in our culture are not restricted to their homes, and are not required to veil their faces. So, when Pope John Paul II spends an entire chapter of Mulieris Dignitatem looking at Jesus’ interactions with women, it almost seems patronizing. “Look, some of his best friends were...
Book Review: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
THE END OF THE AFFAIR, by Graham Greene Reviewed by Kristen West McGuire (New York: Penguin Classics, 2004, 192 pp.) A "tell all" retrospective on Graham Greene in the New York Times Book Review tainted my opinion of Greene. Sure, I knew he was no saint. But according to the scribe in Gotham City, Greene’s lust was legendary and could even be said to fuel his art. And of course...his books were condemned by the Church during his lifetime. And yet the sinner wrote some powerful books. He...
St. Margaret of Cortona Repents
St. Margaret of Cortona Repents by Kristen West McGuire Margaret of Cortona was born in the 13th century in the small Italian town of Laviano. Growing up as an only child, she was spoiled and willful, and her beauty attracted attention from wealthy men. After her mother’s death and a strained relationship with her new stepmother, Margaret, still a teenager, ran away with a nobleman from Montepulciano. She lived as his mistress for nine years and had a son with him. Despite living in luxury,...
“Secretum meum mihi,” (“my secret is mine.”) was St. Edith's Stein's cryptic response when her best friend asked why she converted. We serve up interviews, historical sketches, Bible studies, book reviews and essays for Catholic women. MY SECRET IS MINE is for women with an audacious hope: that the Messiah makes all things new.