Eucharistic Motherhood: January in Italy

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

January in Italy

One year ago, Papa Ronnie and Jane came to our house in Texas and watched our six kids while Ron and I flew to Italy to find a place to live and schools for our children for our upcoming move. Exactly one year later, it is almost impossible to comprehend how much has changed: the sweetest nuns in the world have moved into our house in Dallas and turned it into a convent; our family is settled in our farmhouse on a vineyard in Frascati; our 4 older children are passing most of their classes and performing in the upcoming talent show at their school; Annie is doing great in her school and has a boyfriend, Tiziano; Sebastian plays with the kids in kindergarten and his best friend is named Paolo; Jacob just played his first game with the Frascati soccer team even though his documents had not all come in. . . the coach was tired of waiting and so called him up to play; we are getting our car situation in order and will soon be driving our own cars here instead of campus cars; I have a book contract I am working on with Our Sunday Visitor. How grateful I am for this astonishing season of life that is replete with so many blessings!

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About Me

Born in Texas, raised in NYC, I earned my Ph.D. in philosophy and married a gorgeous theology student who rides a motorcycle and looks like James Dean. We now have six kids, are based in Irving near the University of Dallas where my husband teaches theology and where I sometimes teach philosophy. We currently live in the Castelli Romani, just outside of Rome, Italy. In addition to teaching some semesters and raising our 6 wonderful children, I am studying theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Passionate about the vocation of motherhood, I founded a Catholic mother's ministry, Mighty Is Her Call. Our retreats and blog can be explored here: https://mightyishercall.com.

My book, Motherhood: An Extraordinary Vocation was released August 2021.

What's Special about Motherhood?

Motherhood is patterned on the life of Christ, particularly the Eucharist, in a way that no other vocation is. Some mothers shed blood for their children in childbirth--just as Christ shed his blood for us, a gift we celebrate in the Eucharist. Some mothers nourish children with their own bodies--just as Christ nourishes us with his body in the Eucharist. Mothers give themselves up in countless ways for their children--just as Christ gave himself up for us: "This is my body, given up for you." Every aspect of our day, from feeding our children, to cleaning up their messes, to disciplining them, to listening attentively to them, to hugging them, to laughing with them, to cherishing them, reflects the ways Christ gives himself to us. Motherhood is a role fashioned in the image of Christ, more so than perhaps any other vocation. It is singularly close to and reflective of the Heart of Christ.