The Trigger Warning

Recently one of my supervisors sent my coworkers and me an article from The Atlantic about how American students are being coddled, rather than challenged in our educational system. Shortly after that, our University President made this same subject the topic of his weekly communication with the University community. The article discusses how microaggressions and trigger warnings may be inhibiting students from developing the critical thinking processes we rely on colleges to impart to our young, impressionable minds.

What I feel the need to focus on is the concept of

trigger warnings. When this conversation made its first few waves, I was the standard millennial thinker in that I thought trigger warnings were a great concept that could keep students from being upset or having serious emotional reactions throughout their educational careers. As a recent graduate and new student affairs professional, I've come to realize that maybe trigger warnings are not the best approach for these situations.

Life does not come with a trigger warning. There is no way I can walk down the street feeling guaranteed that no one will ever say or do something that could remind me of a terrible experience I have had in the past. We cannot control the actions of everyone around us, but by making something like trigger warnings an expectation in a college environment, we are teaching today's students that they are able to remain in their bubbles of naivety forever.

College is a time for us to grow as thinkers, leaders, and citizens. It is a time for us to challenge every notion we have - whether it is something we were taught by someone else or we experienced it for ourselves. Without opportunities to confront our fears and sheltered understandings of the world, college returns to the banking concept of education that Paulo Freire so vehemently critiques. I know I would not be the person I am today were it not for the fact that my professors taught me to think critically at all times. They challenged me at every turn and provided me with endless opportunities to explore everything the world has to offer. Every challenge thrown my way was another opportunity to realize the value of my own experiences, recognize the emotional reactions I had, and use that to propel myself forward, learning more about the world and the way things work with each step I take.

There are dozens of corny cliches about conquering your fears, facing challenges, growing from past experiences, and picking yourself up after you fall down. These sayings are cliches for a reason. Although we may view them as overused, they are such because they are true and applicable. As human beings, we learn best when faced with a problem we can overcome, not by sweeping our problems under the rug and avoiding them at all costs. There are better, healthier, more productive ways to overcome negative life experiences that don't involve compromising our education.

Let yourself be challenged, especially in college. Don't let your education suffer because of what you've experienced; rather, allow your experiences to enhance your education and the education of your peers, so the world can be filled with critical thinkers who tackle problems head-on.

Life is a Journey

"Life is a journey, not a destination" is the quote I ended my very first blog post with. This is the quote that kickstarted my life changes this past year. I vaguely alluded to it again in my second blog post when I mentioned that it was the feast day for St. Therese of Lisieux, aka October 1st.

I have always loved this quote - even before it was connected to St. Therese's feast day or any major life changes for me like it was last year. I think it is a wonderful statement about how we ought to live our lives. We spend so much time aiming for this goal or that goal and once we reach those, we immediately set the next one, without stopping to smell the flowers or really thinking about what we've experienced and learned from the process.

I am all too guilty of committing this crime, and when I do so for too long, I usually end up having some sort of breakdown. I think my experiences

the past several months have been one of those times. In the spring my life became a blur of activity where my daily thought was "Just get through
this and then you'll be okay" or something of that nature. Life and it's challenges became things to plow through rather than to experience and grow from.

The problem is that when we approach life as something we just have to get to the end of, we miss all the wonderful things that happen in the middle. We are too quick to hold on to the bad things and forget the good. When we live our lives this way, we can easily be dragged down by the negativity and forget all about those good the emotions and experiences that we never processed, and it all goes downhill from there. When we live our lives as though they are a journey for us to experience, we live in the moment, reflect on our own actions and growth, and feel happier about our lives.

It has been exactly one year since I began this new phase in my life. While it has not been easy, and I definitely did not look at every experience as part of a journey but rather a destination, those moments I have been able to reflect on have been some of the most memorable points of my life. The times I saw my own journey, my own growth, my own happiness. So here's to another year on this journey we call life! Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while ;)

"The world's thy ship and not thy home." ~St. Therese of Lisieux

Pax,
Kay

Aaaannnd...I'm back!

After a ridiculously long hiatus, I have finally found enough time and energy to get this blog up and running again! So what has happened in the 6 months (to the day) since my last post?

1) I received first Communion and Confirmation! April 12, 2015 at the Chapel of Immaculate Conception on the campus of Mount St. Mary's University. Details to come :)

2) I got a new job! I am one of the newest members of the Hall Director crew at Southern Illinois University.

3) I finished graduate school and am now the proud recipient of a Masters of Business Administration!

4) I did all the typical Maryland-y things I needed to do before leaving the state for God knows how long. I spent 2 weekends in Ocean City - both with my nana, one with Juliana (she picked crabs for the first time!) - went to 2 Orioles games, and had some time with my family.

5) I bought a new car! Meet Jack, as in Jack Sparrow, as in the name of the color is Black Pearl and I tried calling my car Pearl but didn't like it so I went with Jack.

6) I went to Europe! Many future posts will detail my escapades across the pond! I particularly loved this view from the Piazza Michelangelo!

7) I moved to Illinois *see number 2* Here's a look the community I oversee and live in as an HD.

8) I made some new friends! The photo on the left is a rare glimpse inside student staff training for Hall Directors. We had fun with Twin Day! On the right is a photo from Dawgs' Nite Out, an event for students to see what life is like at SIU!

9) Got a FitBit in the hopes that I would be inspired to be active more. That worked for about a week... But every day is a chance to try again, right?!

10) Found a new church to attend...and joined the choir! On my first day at practice the choir director said "So, you're gonna be an alto" and my reply was "oh greeeaatttt" with a look of fear stamped across my face because I've never been much of a singer outside of the shower, and I was going to be one of two altos!

I'll be back tracking a little bit over the next several posts to share some more details (and photos, naturally) about my adventures! I'm super excited to resume blogging again, especially being so far from my friends and family and wanting to keep everyone in the loop!

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday 3/27/15 - Product Review

Happy Friday! I have some exciting things to share today! I received my first VoxBox from Influenster, which offers free product samples in exchange for people like me, Juliana, and Alex to test them and share reviews on our social media outlets! My XO VoxBox arrived a couple of weeks ago and I've been so busy that I haven't been able to post about it, but now I finally have a moment to do just that! So here's my first product review:

All my products!

I received so many amazing samples in this VoxBox! Tide Pods with Febreeze, John Frieda Luxurious Volume Treatment and Beach Blonde Collection, Skin Fix Hand Repair Cream, and Colgate Optic White Toothpaste and Toothbrush with Built-In Whitening Pen. Below is a close-up photo of each product and my thoughts!

Colgate Optic White Toothpaste:

LOVE!
I've been wanting to whiten my teeth for years. I tried strips and mouthwashes with little satisfaction, but this toothpaste is great. It really does whiten in just three days like the tube says! So long as you brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time you can have some gorgeous pearly whites sooner than you think!

Colgate Optic White Toothbrush with Built-In Whitening Pen:

LOVE!
Combine this with the Optic White toothpaste and you'll see even whiter teeth than with just the toothpaste. The toothbrush is the right level of firmness and the waved pattern of the bristles really leaves your teeth feeling clean. The Whitening Pen is so easy to use and it only takes a couple of seconds to adhere to your teeth, then you're go!

Tide Pods with Febreeze:

LOVE!
My clothes smell amazing and look wonderfully clean! I just keep sniffing my clothes because they smell so fresh. I've always been a fan of Tide but I was hesitant to use the Pods because it feels more like a dishwater detergent pack than something to use on my clothes, but I think I'm hooked now that I've tried these!

SkinFix Hand Repair Cream:

LOVE!
My hands feel silky smooth after using this! Just what they needed after a long, cold, dry winter!














I have not used the John Frieda products yet, but I plan to start the Luxurious Volume Treatment tomorrow. I'm holding on to the Beach Blonde Treatment for a couple reasons...one, I'm not blonde, and two, it seems to be more of summer product so I'm going to use it then!

I'm so excited to have had the opportunity to test these products and I hope to have many more reviews to share with you in the future!

Pax,
Kay

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

When Its Been a Month

When it has been a month since your last blog post, you know you have one of four problems:

Relay for Life

1) You are super busy

2) You are super lazy
3) You've fallen off track
4) Any combination of the above

I have been face-to-face with the fourth problem. If I'm not busy, I'm lazy, and both of those options have lead me to falling off track with some of my commitments, blogging being one of them. I was able to keep up with my daily devotional readings until I went away to a conference and now getting back into my normal routine is a struggle. But every minute is a new chance, right? So I'm starting to get back on track with a blog post!

So what's been going on with me over the past month? I just got back from four straight days of interviewing for jobs, followed by a few more days attending a conference for my field. I had a great time and I am so excited to hear back from the places I am hoping to work at one day! Before that I was planning a celebration for my school's president as he handed over the reigns. We had a lot of snow days over our "Spring Break" so my laziness really kicked in there. Then I was getting ready for Relay for Life and my conference and now I'm back trying to find a groove again. My month in a nutshell.

One of the suits I wore for interviews!

I know what you're thinking, "You haven't talked about your faith yet! Isn't that kind of the point?" You are absolutely right! I literally just finished meeting with the Deacon who is teaching our RCIA class to catch up on the lesson I missed while I was gone. Over the last two weeks we did an in-depth exploration of the Ten Commandments and I am looking forward to reflecting on these as I prepare for my very first Confession experience this week!

There are about 17 days left until the Mass of Divine Mercy, where I and my peers will receive the sacraments and come into full communion with the church! I hope between now and then (and after) I will keep up with my blogging for you!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving, make your requests known to God" ~Philippians 4:6

Pax,
Kay

Seventy Seven Times

I think one of the hardest things we are called to do as human beings is forgive one another. For me, part of the reason it is so difficult is that I don't really know how to forgive someone. Forgiveness has the confusing attribute of being both an action and a feeling, which makes it rather difficult to define. We find so many stories with the theme of forgiveness, from The Count of Monte Cristo to The Color Purple to The Kite Runner, yet each of these stories addresses forgiveness in a different way.

I have thought on many occasions "Oh yes, I have forgiven this person" but then I see them or speak to them and I am faced with this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach that tells me otherwise. At my core I believe that I am truly willing good for them, but you can love someone without forgiving them.

There's a certain reality that we need to face when confronting the issue of forgiveness, and that is our own self-awareness. As one of my faith inspirations pointed out to me today, we tend to hold others
to the same expectations that we hold ourselves. But that really is not fair to the people we interact with, especially when we reflect on our own actions and realize we have not lived up to our own expectations.

The Lord's Prayer has a beautiful way to remind us about forgiveness: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," and this is even more beautifully illustrated in a parable Jesus shares in Matthew 18. This parable tells the story of a man with an immense debt to a king. The king hears the man's cries to relinquish him from debt, and the king does so. Then the man turns around and holds another man responsible for his debt, despite the other man's pleas to forgive the debt. The first man does not forgive him, but has him thrown in jail. The king calls the man back, furious that his mercy was not passed on, and requires that the man repay his debt because he was not merciful enough to forgive the debts of others. The parable ends by stating that God will be like the king toward any person who does not unconditionally forgive others.

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is one thing God asks us to do for one another. We are called to unconditionally forgive because we are unconditionally forgiven by Him.

"So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from the heart." ~Matthew 18:35

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday 2/20/15

For one of my New Year's Resolutions I gave up buying clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. If it isn't a disposable daily use product or food item, I can't buy it. As a person who thrives on the dopamine and endorphin induced joys that come from buying clothes, I'm struggling a little bit.

In an attempt to quiet my desire to purchase things, I decided to create a wish list of 5 things I would buy right now if I could...not sure how that is going to help me, but I figured I'd see what happens!

1) A blanket scarf: I am always freezing cold and I hate it. There are many days where I wish I could have a blanket in my office but I think people would look at me like I was a little weird - not that this doesn't already happen. With a blanket scarf, you not only have a great accessory, you also have a cozy blanket you can cuddle up under when the situation allows. I particularly love this scarf from Etsy!

2) New boots: I wear my boots so often that they have begun to fall apart. I should have considered that before New Year's so I could invest in new boots to get me through the rest of the season and next fall...but hindsight is 20/20! I have a few favorite boots that I'd love to have to replace my current, dilapidated favorites. I like these gray booties and these tall tan boots, both from DSW!

3) Suit jacket: I am never one to turn down a good blazer or suit jacket, and since I have interviews coming up I am struggling to resist the urge to buy more. I am particularly loving this one from H&M!

4) Patterned pencil skirt: Also from H&M, I absolutely love pencil skirts, especially with patterns! They are a fun statement piece that look great with cardigans, blazers, blouses, boots, flats, heels - you name it, it works!

5) Skinny ponte pants: I fell in love with skinny cut ponte pants during my time working in retail. Unfortunately, the pairs I own have been worn, and worn, and worn...and now they are worn down. I particularly like skinny ponte pants because they have all the comfort of leggings, without actually being leggings - they have a button, zipper, belt loops, and sometimes they even have pockets! My currently desired pair can be found at Kohl's!

It's Lent!

Looking back at my recent posts, I realized I have been pretty much MIA for the past ten or so days, sincerest apologies...I have been traveling, trying to balance tasks, and figuring out what commitments in my life need to take a backseat so I can make other things (like my blog) higher on my priority list. Enough of my excuses though!

Some books I'll be reading during my Lenten reflection time!

Lent is here! It seems like just yesterday I was experiencing Advent for the first time, but now we've arrived at a beautiful season of sacrifice, prayer, and almsgiving - not to mention this is the ultimate countdown for someone in RCIA!

Typically the common conversation among Catholics at this time of year contains statements like "What are you giving up for Lent?" or "Gosh I wish I could have coffee" (coffee = whatever other item a person has given up as their sacrifice for the season). We are all so nosy. We want to know what everyone else is giving up and share what we are giving up.

The message in the daily readings, homily, and Lenten Reflection book at my university (compiled and edited by J) all explained an important concept that is all too easily forgotten at this time of year. Our sacrifice during Lent is between us and God. We should not be walking around wearing our

The Lenten Reflection book J edited!

sacrifice like a badge of honor. The purpose of making a sacrifice during Lent is to reconcile ourselves with God in light of our sins and show him that we still love and follow him.

Any sacrifice should be done with love, as a personal connection between you and God. There are only two beings in the entire world who know your faults deeply enough to understand the meaning of your sacrifice, you and God. Keep your sacrifice a precious secret between you and God and it will make the sacrifice all the more meaningful to you - plus it will create a lot of accountability for you to follow through!

My countdown!

Completely unrelated...I have recently begun to use a countdown app on my phone in order to keep track of how many days left until I receive the sacraments of confirmation and communion. In just about 53 days I will officially be a member of the Catholic Church! Typically RCIA participants will receive sacraments on Easter Sunday, but since I am going through the school for my classes and we are closed for the Easter holiday, I will be waiting until the following Sunday!

"All acts between man and God are necessarily dependent upon a relationship of love. Therefore, the reality of fasting is an act of love" ~Dean Eric Bolek, Mount St. Mary's Lenten Reflection Book

"When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father, who is hidden." ~Matthew 6:17-18b

Pax,
Kay

It's A Promise

I truly believe that in today's world, romantic relationships are the biggest social challenge we face. Relationships are scary, uncomfortable, and uncertain. You can never read the mind of the other person to determine what he/she is thinking about you, about your status, about the future, which makes you self-conscious, anxious, and a whole host of other unproductive emotions.

That being said, one of the most important things you can do when considering, beginning, or continuing a relationship is you and your relationship with God. A great theme that is splattered all over the Internet in the form of various quotes is the notion that falling in love with God will help guide you to the love you are meant to find on Earth. We are all naturally meant to seek someone else. As humans we are just one half of a whole that can only be truly completed when we find the love that God intended for us.

We will never be able to find that earthly love if we do not have that heavenly love with God first. One of my favorite quotes is "Imagine a man so focused on God that the only reason he looked up to see you is because he heard God say 'that's her'." We should not only have this expectation of our significant other, but also for ourselves. We must hold ourselves to the same standard as the person we are seeking. When we do this, we will be better prepared to enter into that relationship.

Last week in RCIA, we discussed the sacrament of matrimony, which inspired the thoughts behind this post. We date people with the intention of eventually committing to marrying one of them.

Marriage is about making a lifelong promise to someone. But this promise is not just to the person we are marrying. It is also a promise to God. Marriage is a lifelong promise between three entities: you, your spouse, and God. When you get married, you are giving your word to God.

I recognize that I am not married and I have no experience from which to speak on this matter. But what I do have is hope. And desire. And trust. I know that by establishing my relationship with God, I will have a foundation for a beautiful marriage grounded in a promise between me, my future spouse, and God.

The most important part of this whole equation is that I need to focus on myself and my relationship with God first. I am moving through life, focusing on God, and when he tells me to look up and meet someone, I will. But for now, do not panic or worry or stress about being alone or finding someone to spend the rest of your life with. Just be you and love God and trust that one day God will provide you with what you are seeking.

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."  ~Hebrews 10:23

Pax,
Kay

Five Days of Faith

I have seriously had the best few days of faith experiences and I am so excited to share them with you! Each of these stories are incredibly important to me and provided me with a renewed energy in my journey!

Day 1 - Thursday: Last week I shared my struggle about staying committed to being better this year. Turns out that one of my staff members was having the same struggle and she made a simple but awesome plan for focusing on her relationship with God: daily mass. And she invited me! So I went to mass with her after my class on Thursday. There was nothing ground-breaking about this experience, but it was nice to focus on my relationship with God on a day besides Sunday.

Day 2 - Friday: One of the teachers of my RCIA class is Anne Marie, a woman with a beautiful heart and a wealth of knowledge about the faith. I really wanted to get to know Anne Marie, so earlier in the week I asked her if we could grab coffee on Friday afternoon. And we did! It was great to talk to her about Catholicism and hear about her experiences with the faith, as well as share mine!

Day 3 - Saturday: I learned how to make rosary bracelets! J taught me how so I made a couple. I have yet to perfect the technique and I still haven't learned much about the rosary, but I'm working on it!

Day 4 - Sunday: RCIA and mass are the highlight of my week. I love the times I get to learn about the faith and then see it come to life at mass. This week's lesson was on holy orders and matrimony (Wednesday's post will be all about relationships thanks to the matrimony discussion) and I walked out of RCIA on a cloud just thinking about the promises I have to look forward to!

Day 5 - Monday: I am notorious for hating Mondays. But today was a different story. I had the opportunity to talk to our campus chaplain about RCIA and how my faith development was progressing. We were only scheduled for about 20 minutes of chatting, but we talked for at least 40 minutes! It is so powerful to share your experiences, hear about the experiences of others, and be challenged to grow in your faith!

"Ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” ~Romans 1:20

Pax,

Kay

Fashion Friday 1/30/15

Happy Friday!

One of my favorite new trends is the cape coat. I bought one around Christmas from New York & Company and I am now obsessed. Check out some of these fabulous styles, courtesy of Polyvore!

I love cape coats for a couple reasons. 1) They are inherently classy and elegant, thus they can take your look from casually average to fabulously perfect. 2) It is a cape! What little girl did not walk around wearing a cape when playing dress up? Now we get to wear capes in real life fashion and feel like superheroes or princesses just because we can!

Stay warm!

Distractions & Excuses

It's Monday again. I hit snooze. No work out. By the time I roll out of bed I have missed

One of my many distractions: puzzles!

the chance to learn Spanish and French like I had planned. On top of all that, I ran out of time to pray, yet again. Despite my list of New Year's Resolutions and my promise to myself that I would stick with them, I allowed myself to become distracted and find excuses for the things I want to do to be a better person.

It is so easy for me to find excuses to not do things. It took me a while to fall asleep last night, so I can set my alarm for later. I went to mass yesterday, so I don't need to go to the chapel today to pray. Oh, I have class tonight so I don't have time to practice piano for 30 minutes. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

On top of all the excuses, I find myself very easily distracted. Everything from a TV show, to going on dates, to just scrolling through the plethora of social media sites can distract me for hours and completely wreck any plans I had made for that day. Even if the top thing I had planned for the day was just to go to a chapel for a few minutes, I get started on other tasks or I hang out with people and I let that fall to the way side.

This time, I was fortunate enough to catch myself - not before I started to get distracted

Irrelevant but still cool photo

and make excuses, but earlier than I had ever caught myself before. It's the little things, right?! Where this was slightly unfortunate was that I did not do anything to redirect my actions until I had a very moving experience at a teaching mass on Saturday.

As part of RCIA, I was invited to attend a teaching mass given by Father Michael Joly, a legally blind priest from Virginia. The whole experience was incredibly moving because Father Michael's faith emanated so beautifully from his words and his mannerisms. It reminded me of the joy I felt when my faith came first in life and provided me with the reality check that I so desperately needed.

Take a minute to think about your daily activities. Are they balanced or are you devoting too much time to distractions and excuses? Are you lulled into complacency or focused on faith and growth experiences?

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." ~1 Corinthians 10:13

Pax,
Kay

The Box

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was from J. She gave me a box with 364 notes of varying topics: adventures, bible verses, quotes, songs, etc. So, starting on January 1st, I began to read one little note a day.

Thus far I've gotten a few songs - playlist to be posted soon, a couple bible verses, a reason why J loves me, and an adventure to embark on. J included adventures because sometimes I get stuck in a rut and don't appreciate the world around me. My first adventure adventure (pictured below) is already proving to be quite a challenge, but I happily accepted it and am working on it!

So far I am on a two-day streak! We'll see how that goes!

"Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey" ~Genesis 24:12

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday 1/16/15

What a week! Lots of new and exciting things have been happening, but they've unfortunately taken me away from posting as much as I'd like to. Thankfully, Fashion Friday is a quick post that I can share between the craziness!

I absolutely love this outfit. It is a perfect combination of classy, professional and feminine!

Blouse and Skirt: New York & Company, Belt: maurices, Shoes: I wish I remembered, but here's a similar pair from maurices!

Happy Friday!

Pax,
Kay

Fashion Friday 1/9/15

Happy Friday All! Here's one of my favorite looks from the very short week we had here!

This week is a bit more casual for us because the students we work with are not back on campus, so I decided to go with this casual but still professional look.

It's been so cold (outside and inside) that I just wanted to be warm and comfortable!

Boots: wet seal, Pants: gap, Sweater: Old Navy, Blouse: maurices

Pax,

Kay

Figuring it Out

One of the most difficult things I do on a daily basis is make decisions. I'm telling you, it is the hardest thing for me to decide whether or not to get coffee, what to wear, what to eat for dinner, etc. Eventually I get so frustrated I just give up and end up not eating, not getting coffee, or turning to my tips for picking an outfit. Those things I can get over. But if I struggle to make decisions like that, how am I supposed to make decisions on the bigger issues? Where do I want to be next year? What kind of person do I want to be? What kind of friendships and relationships will I allow and seek out for my life?

Before embarking on this journey (actually this is one of the things that encouraged me to turn back to faith), everyone told me to pray about my decisions and life events. So I did. I prayed constantly for guidance on jobs, friends, relationships and all the rest of the decisions that gave me copious amounts of anxiety for weeks on end.

Asking for help and saying prayers was easier than I expected - I'm the
girl who absolutely refuses to ask for help and is always determined to find her own way, so for me to suddenly be able to ask God for help was remarkable. The hardest part of all of this wasn't the asking, it was the waiting and then the understanding. Is this a test? Is this an answer? What am I supposed to do with this thought/feeling/event?

As always, when I fail to understand something, I turn to my friends for help figuring out what the thoughts I have in prayer or things brought into my life because of prayer mean and how I am supposed to react to them. These are the moments when I thank God for the amazing role models I have in my life. Liv and J never cease to have beautiful words of wisdom to calm and reassure my anxious heart and mind.

Today's message, don't be afraid to ask God for help or guidance and surround yourself with good people who will help you figure out what God is revealing to you.

"Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter, whoever finds one has found a treasure." ~Sirach 6:14

Pax,

Kay

Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

One of the first questions everyone asked me when I told them about doing RCIA was "Who is your confirmation saint?" At the time I had absolutely no idea who I would pick, but every time I thought about it, only one saint came to mind: Elizabeth Ann Seton. I knew very little about her, but her name was the first one I thought of when someone said "saint".

So I started to do some digging into the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton. I knew she would be my confirmation saint when I discovered that she was also a convert. Elizabeth was raised Episcopalian and was a socialite who did charity work and raised her family. Her husband became very ill, so they went to Italy with the hopes that he would feel better. Unfortunately they were quarantined and her husband passed away before they were able to be admitted into Italy.

Elizabeth spent time with friends in Italy and she was able to witness their incredible faith. With the support of her Italian friends, she converted to Catholicism, but her decision was not well-received by her friends and family back home. She was a teacher, but struggled to support herself and her family because parents would not allow their children to be taught by a Catholic.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine

A few years after she converted, Elizabeth was given a commission by the Catholic Church to start the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, the first religious community for women in the United States. In addition to founding the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, MD, Elizabeth Ann Seton also started a Catholic school for girls. The Sisters of Charity and their ministries, as well as the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine are located just a mile away from my college and I was able to visit the shrine for one of my classes. Additionally, Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first native-born American saint, canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

After discovering more about her life and having been brought to Catholicism in the area where she did her incredible works, I knew that she would be, as J calls her, "my homegirl" and confirmation saint. What religious figure have you identified with in your life?

"Put your heart at His feet. It is the gift He loves most." ~St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Pax,
Kay