Catholic Faith

September 8th is the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. It caught me off guard a bit today because I’m used to seeing the feast listed as “the birth of the BVM” not “the birthday of the BVM”.

Last night I talked with a group of young adult Catholics about prayer — ways to pray in the midst of daily life with all of the activities, pressures, and responsibilities that any given day might hold.

I have been doing a lot of thinking on, praying with, and studying of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This image of Mary is near and dear to my own heart as it is the namesake of my own religious congregation. But recently it has been an image — and a certain kind of devotion — that has drawn me in, almost as if asking me, inviting me, to go deeper.

Yesterday I spent the day in Monroe, Michigan, at my IHM Motherhouse. I am a member of committee that is responsible for engaging the IHM community in a process of prayer and reflection on religious life and our IHM charism. It is one of the most engaging experiences I’ve had the privilege to be involved in.

I just saw the movie The Secret Life of Bees. I had read the book by Sue Monk Kidd a while back when it first came out. I loved the book and so I was nervous about seeing the movie because something is always different. But I figured Queen Latifah, whom I adore, was in the movie so it would at least be enjoyable to see her.