A Face to Love

A Face to Love

Therese was less than ordinary as a young girl when she experienced a type of suffering that these days would possibly have counted against her entrance to the convent, namely, what had all the signs of a mental illness, which afflicted her around the age of 10.

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Let Him Lead – A Video of Encouragement

Let Him Lead – A Video of Encouragement

Jennifer shares her magnificat of what God has done in her life since leaving the monastery. She battled depression and anxiety, but through all of this, she has grown so much.

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Interview with Career Coach Ryan Haber – The Simpleton Podcast

Our volunteer Career Coach Ryan Haber was a guest on The Simpleton Podcast, part of the outreach of A Simple House He spoke about how people with liberal arts degrees, former sisters, seminarians, etc. can approach work and the job search. We think you'll find it very...

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Book Review on Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life

Book Review on Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life

Through this book, the Leonie’s Longing reader walks the path of our patroness’ difficult childhood years, empathizes deeply with her tearful journey to find a permanent home in the religious life, and admires her growth in holiness.

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A Post-leaving Playlist

A Post-leaving Playlist

I’m one of those people who likes to have a “theme song” or two for the significant moments and stages of my life, including entering and leaving religious life. I find that music helps me to connect with and process my emotions, make sense of all that’s going on…

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I Am ONLY Baptized

It’s hard to have a vocation that doesn’t have a name or a form. It’s hard to be a “regular” person after aspiring to the “higher calling” of religious life. It can even feel like…a demotion in the Church.

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Still Searching

Tears rise in my eyes, and simply hang there. I’ve been through so much. The questions within me no longer seem to be darkened by “I thought I would be farther by now.” They seem…well…normal. They are: “What am I doing? What should I do next? Where am I going?” Not only that, but “who are my friends? Who should I call? With whom do I belong?” These are big, and hard questions.

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Am I a Necessary Member?

As a middle-aged, lay, single, woman, I am an outsider in Catholic communities. It could be easy for me to say to myself, “I do not belong to the body.” And, let’s be honest, there are people in the church who have said “I do not need you” (vs 21) through their words, actions or both. But this is a lie. How do we know? Paul states, “But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.”

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The Story of a Rosary

by Emma In celebration of my clothing as a religious, some high school friends of mine gave me a rosary that they handmade together. The lavender- and blush-colored beads were linked together with little pieces of wire twisted in meandering loops. In their own words...

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Autobiography of an Athlete

by Emma    "Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it."(1 Corinthians 9:24) Reading these words made me wonder, what does it take to win a race? What does it take to not only cross...

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