Speaking

My husband and I have 8 children and three grandchildren. Our oldest son is a priest, newly ordained in June of 2018.

 

I was only 27 when I began working in women's ministry-- by chance (lol) I had 3 young children and was leading a group of 150 moms. That led me to facilitate scripture studies- some with over 250 women-youth ministries, studying the Church's documents on marriage and family and speaking. In the midst of that, I also had a Fine art business, a painting that toured nationally, and became a healing tool for women who had lost a late-term pregnancy and some of my other paintings are on book covers. 

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I've done a little TV and radio for EWTN and local Catholic stations, I have had articles about my art in Catholic Mom and the National Catholic register, and have written a book. You might say I'm kind of an overachiever- I would like to say a recovering perfectionist

 

After the birth of my 8th child-- I was at a crossroads. A priest recommended asking St Catherine of Genoa to intercede for me-- very quickly (as He tends to do in our life when something is His will) I was signed up for a 5-year Diocesan Lay Formation program to earn a Master's in Theology and Ministry with a 2-month-old on my lap- I finished when she was 4.

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While I was in the program, our community became a double trauma area with 9 student deaths in 4 years (7 to suicide) and Super Storm Sandy -- which destroyed over 1800 homes. Our family began a nonprofit that helped the community heal through our daughter's passable wristband initiative that went viral across the country. We coordinated hundreds of volunteers to help restore people's homes and gave out over $100,000 in donation money for them to rebuild.

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Most of the work we were doing was healing. We spent most of our time listening and guiding others through extreme darkness. God seems to always place us with the most broken hearts to share the grace and mercy of kindness and love He has shared with us--- 

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Since 2013 we have spoken across the country to over 80,000 students and their families. 

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My home has become my place of retreat. Family and the passing of time have become precious. The memories we gave our children run deep and our sweet beach home was the center of it all. Our family has been through so much like many families have. I know they won't remember what was hanging on the walls or what color the sofa was, but now that we have adult children, I do know they remember how it felt. Years ago I studied interior design and I am so blessed to have come full circle with my art. I want to help you create the backdrop for your family living this precious life. 

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​As a Mom, I have not been untouched by the hardships our family and community have lived through. I often pray for God to take the workload from me and He quietly waits for me to stop my bellyaching--I continue. 

Through the process of the stripping down of the life I once had to the life we have now--God has shown me how incredibly blessed I have been through the journey and how important it is to cling to him--That a close tribe of faithful women friends is priceless and that what he has taught me MUST be shared. 

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I would love to speak at your event-- contact me below