Jan 20, 2015 |
Welcome to 2015! May this truly be a Year of Our Lord!
My name is Theresa and I am the Foundress and President of Leonie’s Longing. As this new year begins, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers and your interest in our ministry. We couldn’t do any of this without your spiritual support!
The Lord has been building Leonie’s Longing for about 2 years and it has truly changed my life. I would never have dreamed that starting a ministry would help me so much. It might sound cliché, but everything I’ve put into Leonie’s Longing has been returned to me 100-fold (at least!).
Initially, I was reluctant to take on this task for a number of reasons. The biggest one was that I felt I was unqualified. Sure, I had been in the convent and returned to the world, but I hadn’t figured everything out yet. As a matter of fact, I felt like a big mess and I certainly didn’t have answers for anyone else. I was the one who needed answers. But as I soon discovered in the most mysterious and beautiful way, all that didn’t matter. What mattered was that I cared enough to do something to attempt to get those answers. Amazingly, creating a place for others to talk out the questions, the struggles, and the challenges of readjusting to the world has been the most beneficial thing I’ve done to help myself readjust to the world!
But the most unexpected and wonderful gift that I have been given through this work is friendship. I have been stunned by the depth and beauty of the relationships God has created through this work. And I am not alone in this work, either. Behind the 
scenes of Leonie’s Longing is a host of volunteers, much larger than anyone could have imagined! Most of them choose to remain somewhat hidden. But I have the distinct privilege of working with them all and I feel incredibly blessed because of it.
Recently I asked a couple of our volunteers to share their experiences working with Leonie’s Longing. Here’s what they said:
a) Being a part of LL has freed me from so much of the shame and loneliness I felt after leaving religious life. I have realized that I am not alone and have witnessed the power of sharing my own story – which reveals the great work of God in my life, especially in the transition time. In giving my time to LL I have received much more, and I pray that you too will join the Team!
b) Volunteering with Leonie’s Longing has been a way for me to make something beautiful out of the difficult experience of leaving the convent. Since I signed up, I’ve gained computer skills I never imagined myself possessing, but that’s secondary. What matters is that I can use those skills to share the message of Leonie’s Longing with others: we’re here with you, and we’ve been through the same things you have. My understanding of post-convent life has become something that I can use in the service of God and others, in a way that it couldn’t have elsewhere. It’s a great privilege, and I love working with others who are passionately committed to the same mission.
Would you like to volunteer for Leonie’s Longing, too? We’re growing fast, so we really need the help. We have all kinds of projects: short-term, long-term, one-off? Social, technology, administrative, research, you name it. No matter what your
gifts or talents, chances are there’s something you can do, and you can do it on your own time, from anywhere in the world. Most importantly, though, in working with Leonie’s Longing, you will not only be giving a great gift to our community of faithful women, but you will, like so many others, receive your gift back 100-fold!
If you don’t feel that you can volunteer right now, I would just ask you to continue praying for all of us, especially as we discern our goals for 2015. If you do feel that you may be called to help, please write to us at contactus[at]leonieslonging.org and we will find a way to get you involved. I look forward to meeting you!
Nov 25, 2014 |
If you have an idea for a blog post, please email
blogcontent[at]leonieslonging.org!
Sep 18, 2014 |
Hello everyone,
We’re going to be doing some innovative things on the Leonie’s Longing blog over the next couple of months, and I’d like to take this opportunity to let you know what to expect!
Starting on the 22nd of September and leading up to her Feast Day on the 1st of October, a novena to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux will be posted on the blog for the intentions of all women who have left the religious life. You’re warmly invited to join us in a brief prayer and meditation each day in honour of the holy sister of our patroness Léonie.
In addition to this, there will be a number of extra posts based around a common theme: the lives of Léonie and Thérèse Martin. You’ll see these posts on the anniversaries of significant events (for example, the 1898 publication date of the first edition of The Story of a Soul at the end of September) and also scattered throughout October and November in the lead-up to the Year of Consecrated Life.
All of these posts are intended to complement the beautiful personal articles sent in to us by readers, which will be published as usual throughout these themed months. (Any readers who are interested in writing a post are most welcome to email me at blogcontact[at]leonieslonging.org, too!)
God bless,
Penny.
Aug 23, 2014 |
Hello everybody,
This is my first official announcement as Blog Mistress, which is quite exciting (for me, at least)!
Jenni contacted me at the end of June this year to ask whether I could look after the Leonie’s Longing blog during her journey to Europe – and, cheerfully unaware of the steep technological learning curve ahead of me, I said yes. After a couple of weeks of flooding both Jenni and Theresa with emails (“How does the Index function work? Why can’t I open the Topics document? Heeeeeelp!”), I had finally learnt enough to avoid mangling the blog hopelessly if left in charge of it, and Jenni set off across the Pond.
I’m pleased to let you know that she returned safely from her travels earlier this week, so, in theory, this is the point at which I should step aside and hand the blog back to her. But actually, I kind of like it here. No… to be more accurate, I really like it here: it’s an enormous privilege to get to know you, the authors and readers at Leonie’s Longing, and to hear the stories that have brought you here to this unique website. I have therefore accepted the post of Blog Mistress indefinitely – and am looking forward to it!
You’ll still see Jenni around: she has returned to her position as Vice President of Leonie’s Longing, and wanted to mention that my taking over the blog will free her to do other things for the ministry. I’d like to thank her for teaching me the ropes, and for offering me the chance to become involved with LL and the fantastic work that it does.
Any questions, comments and ideas for blog posts can be sent to me at blogcontent[at]leonieslonging.org. You’ll also see me pottering around the site as Penny Rose – please feel free to say hello!
In Christ,
Penny.
Jun 26, 2014 |
Hello, Leonie’s Ladies! This is Jenni, your Blog Mistress. Many of you have been in contact with me since I took over the blog in… I can’t remember, honestly. January, maybe? At any rate, I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be out of the country for about 6 weeks this summer. Since I’ll be in monasteries, I won’t have access to the internet. (The image for this post is a little hint about where I’ll be going.)
But no worries! The blog will go on, because Penny has graciously offered to be our Blog Mistress in my absence. So, if you write to the blogcontent[at]leonieslonging.org email address in the weeks to come, please don’t think it’s a typo when you see “Penny” instead of “Jenni” in the signature.
Penny is one of our blog authors, though I can’t tell you which one, cuz most of us use pseudonyms ’round here. (Except for me. My mom really calls me Jenni. Always has.) And since I’m making this rare announcement already, I’d like to take the opportunity to say to ALL our authors: YOU’RE AMAZING. Leonie’s Longing’s blog used to be a sporadic, maybe-once-a-month thing. Thanks to all of you, we’ve been able to post regular weekly blog posts for months now. We’re overjoyed, because we know that blogs help to build a sense of community and identification with others. And that is a MAJOR mission of Leonie’s Longing. We’ve even had emails from readers telling us how grateful they are that we’re posting more regularly now. That’s all YOUR doing.
If you’re a lady who has left religious life, and you’re still lurking out there on our blog (we know you’re out there, cuz we can see how many people read each post), please get in touch with us. We’re here for you, and we want to make you as much a part of our community as you want to be. So go ahead and introduce yourself to us by emailing Leonie’s Longing’s founder Theresa at contactus[at]leonieslonging.org. We can put you on our prayer list, or our events notification list, or maybe even hook you up with other Leonie’s Ladies in your area. There’s lots of things we can do, but we can’t do nuthin’ unless you say hello!
Of course, if you have any questions about the blog, or want to share with all of Leonie’s Ladies your experience or your hard-earned advice about returning to the world, don’t email Theresa. Email Penny at blogcontent[at]leonieslonging.org!
Ever (but especially tomorrow…) in His Most Sacred Heart,
Jenni
May 25, 2014 |
“Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where every bend may reveal a totally new landscape.” – C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
What often comes to mind when we hear the word “grief” is mourning the loss of a loved one. Yet it encompasses so much more, including the loss of an ideal, a community, or a way of life. Leaving the convent is a time when we often experience these emotions, but may not understand or comprehend what is happening. For some, it may be mourning the loss of community, the structured way of life, or even our identity itself. Feelings of denial, isolation, anger, bargaining with God, and depression are a part of the grieving process and the human experience, but can be ignored or pushed aside. By embracing our humanity and Christ’s never-ending mercy, we can obtain acceptance and peace.
On Thursday, May 29th, we’ll be exploring the stages of grief and discussing healthy ways of coping with this painful experience for those have left the religious life. We sincerely hope you join us as we journey through this “valley” together!
– Wendy Macagno, Webchat Discussant
As many of you already know, Leonie’s Longing’s next Live Webchat will take place this Thursday, May 29th, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. In order to ensure that the webchat covers questions of concern to you, our readers, we’re using this blog post to ask you to let us know anything specific you might want us to cover on Thursday.
If you have a question, comment, or just something you’d like to share with the Webchat Discussants before they go live, please use the comment boxes below to tell us. (Responding to one another’s comments/questions to “+1″ them will let us know which topics are of concern to the most people, so please feel free to do that, too!)
Of course, you can also send us questions/comments via Facebook and Twitter, if you prefer. These outlets will be monitored both before and during the Live Webchat to guide our Discussants’ conversation.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Welcome to 2015! May this truly be a Year of Our Lord!
gifts or talents, chances are there’s something you can do, and you can do it on your own time, from anywhere in the world. Most importantly, though, in working with Leonie’s Longing, you will not only be giving a great gift to our community of faithful women, but you will, like so many others, receive your gift back 100-fold!
Hello, Leonie’s Ladies! This is Jenni, your Blog Mistress. Many of you have been in contact with me since I took over the blog in… I can’t remember, honestly. January, maybe? At any rate, I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be out of the country for about 6 weeks this summer. Since I’ll be in monasteries, I won’t have access to the internet. (The image for this post is a little hint about where I’ll be going.)
“Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where every bend may reveal a totally new landscape.” – C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
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