Eucharistic Motherhood: My favorite towns in Italy--What a day!!!!

Saturday, June 10, 2017

My favorite towns in Italy--What a day!!!!

My two favorite towns in Italy are Gandofo and Nemi. Gandolfo is a quaint, hillside village that overlooks a beautiful lake. I gave a sight lecture on the address Saint Pope John Paul II gave on Marriage and the Family here in Gandolfo. It was fun doing metaphysics with the students right there on the cobblestones.
Here is Sebastian in the Church, San Tommaso, in the town square.

Here is Sebastian on Leigh's shoulders.

Then we went to Nemi. It is the strawberry capital of Italy! I love this place!!! Here is Ron giving a sight lecture on how we are standing on the rim of a volcano and about the ancient temple of Diana that still has flowers and fruits placed on it occasionally--modern day net-paganism? Then Professor Marchetti gave a great talk on Virgil and Dante, both of whom reference this place--Alba Longa. It is amazing to be where the Aeneid begins!

Here are students of our UD Summer Program, plus Professor Marchetti.

Here are our kids, eating strawberry tarts, a local delicacy!!

Sebastian with his lollipop.

My handsome husband!

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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.