The sun streamed through the chapel windows. It was 9am on an ordinary Tuesday and I was about to participate in a Catholic Mass for the first time in my life. With the exception of a very, brief stint at a Catholic school more than 40 years ago, this was my first real experience of Catholic community and liturgy. When I arrived at The Abbey the night before, the gracious sister who welcomed me had …
I attended my first church service within a week of being born. I was a later-in-life addition to the family. My older siblings were 9 and 11 years of age when I was born, so I spent most of my early years tagging along with either my brother or sister and their friends. They and my parents were heavily involved in our local Baptist church, a commitment that went well beyond Sunday attendance. The church …
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. —Charles Spurgeon The bathroom floor was cold and felt damp beneath me as I slumped over the toilet. The house was bursting with guests. Relatives from overseas had come for a holiday, and my new husband and I were living in Hong Kong, which meant high rent and tight quarters. With space made for guests, the only place I …
My family emigrated from Ireland to Australia when I was about to turn three. We knew no one when we arrived and so our family of four became a very tight unit. I was an anxious child and longed for the approval of others. When I began gaining weight in primary school I became the victim of bullying and taunts that rocked my fragile self-esteem. Fortunately, I had a very close relationship with my older …
I grew up in a loving Christian home, the youngest of five children. I asked Jesus into my heart when I was young and although I didn’t know that much of the Bible I was always very aware of the presence and voice of God. I recall one occasion when I was in my classroom at school and suddenly became very unsettled and overwhelmed. I knew something was wrong. Not quite understanding what I was …
