What is The Practicing Catholic?

It is primarily a chronicle of one person’s life as a Catholic American in the 21st century.  In particular, it is a chronicle of said Catholic exploring the vocation to holiness, the calling to sainthood.

I have heard it said that the Church’s vocation to holiness is an unreasonable ideal that nobody can ever really live up to, especially not us ordinary laypeople.  When I first came back to the Church, I was tempted to think that myself, but before long, in reading Scripture and studying my faith, I realized that God and His Church would never expect the impossible of us–they know even better than we do what our limitations are.  So, I thought I would just explore the vocation to holiness for myself… to see how much of it is idealism and how much of it is realism… how much of it is unreasonable and how much of it is reasonable… how much of it is impossible and how much of it is possible.  So far, I have found it completely real, completely reasonable, and (with a healthy dose of supernatural help) completely possible!

It began with simply being open to the possibility that I too could be called to holiness.  Little did I know what an incredible journey I would be led on!  Little did I know what evils I would overcome.  Little did I know what sufferings and joys awaited me, what small Good Fridays and Easters I would experience.  And the journey is still just beginning!

I don’t want to keep this journey to myself, I want to share it with others and exhort them to be open to that possibility themselves. That is the primary purpose of this blog.

 

Who is the Practicing Catholic?

There is a lot I could say about myself, but here are the pertinent facts, the ones that will be most reflected in this blog.

1.  I am a Catholic.  A passionate, unabashed, unapologetic Catholic.  Catholicism is not just something I believe in, it is something I strive to live out to the best of my ability.  It is a marvelous mystery that I never tire of exploring.  It has a way of making life difficult at times, but in those times, I stand by it even more firmly, and it always sees me through, often beyond all my hopes and expectations.  Why should I follow such a difficult path?  Because I know it will lead me to God, whom I love above everything and everybody else.

2.  I am a “revert.”  I was raised Catholic, thanks to my beloved parents, but I fell away from the Church and lived as an apostate for a number of years.  And then I came back (reverted) to Catholicism!  It’s sort of a long, complicated story that involves my late fiance, Patrick.  My reversion process has been fraught with both great joy and extreme grief.  But being back in the Church brings me nothing but joy and gratitude!  I know it brings peace and comfort to my parents, as well, for which I am glad.  Being a revert has also given me perhaps a special zeal for the faith–I feel like there is so much I’ve forgotten, so much I need to catch up on.  I suspect that sometimes my zeal gets a little out of hand… to the point that it outruns my sense of charity.  I don’t like it when that happens; I know it’s a flaw.  You will simply have to forgive me and bear with me until I can settle down a bit.

3.  I am single.  I find that being a single Catholic tends to set me apart, both from other Catholics and from the secular world.  I often feel that I have to work out for myself just where I fit within the Church and within the world.  I try to be positive about it, but the fact is that it is a pretty heavy cross to bear.  I hope very much to be married and have a family one day.  In the meantime, I just try to bear the cross gracefully and be a good companion to my Lord.

4.  I am a Lay Dominican.  “Lay” means I am a “normal” layperson: I live on my own, I support myself with a career, I am free to marry and have a family.  “Dominican” means I am a member of St. Dominic’s Order of Preachers, together with the friars and nuns and sisters.  With them, I take on the mission of preaching Truth to the world!  This is not an easy mission, and probably never has been and never will be.  Fortunately, I have a family and a tradition spanning 800 years to back me up, with a time-tested formula of prayer, study, apostolate, and community.  I am still a novice Lay Dominican, so I have much to learn!

5.  I am a librarian, an aspiring novelist, and an all-around bibliophile.  If I were asked what an addiction of mine is, books would be it!  I don’t always have much time to read, but that doesn’t stop me from “investing” in books.  One of my favorite pastimes is to go to used book stores on “search and rescue” missions.  They all deserve good homes, right?  If you’d like to help feed my addiction, take a look at my Amazon Wish List!

6.  I like to have fun too.  My guilty pleasures include video games, anime, and j-pop.  Also wasting time connecting with people on Facebook.

 

This blog is dedicated…

…to God and to all my family and friends, living and deceased, but especially to the following Heavenly inspirations:

The Lord Holy Spirit, for keeping me on the narrow path with His signature blend of tenderness and tough love.

St. Dominic, my spiritual father, for inspiring me with so many things, especially courage and dependence on Divine Providence.

St. Catherine of Siena, patroness of all Lay Dominicans.

Sts. Martha and Mary (my patron saints for 2008), for taking on the enormous task of inspiring me to be a better homemaker, and for helping me balance action and contemplation.

My paternal grandfather, who has always been a special guardian and inspiration to me.

My maternal grandmother, who helped teach me to read, among other things.

My Patrick, who started me on the path to reconversion to the Church.

 

  This page and this entire blog are copyright 2008 by Heather Barrett.