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The Soulful Catholic

Stirring up faith, one soul at a time.

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Church of the Beatitudes in Israel

The Why

The Catholic newspaper I wrote for may have stopped publishing a print edition, but the deep desire to continue penning words that pointed to Jesus never diminished. In fact, it grew and gave birth to this blog! I attribute that zeal to the grace of God who in 2010 allowed me to meet and become adopted by the persecuted Christians of the Middle East. Their authentic witness to Christ in the midst of deep suffering reignited my faith and set me on a path that continues to unwind before me.

What follows are soulful meanderings into what it means to be a follower of Christ living in a broken world redeemed by God.

Recent Articles

Sometimes we delve into current issues (what do you expect from a political science major?) but it’s always through a lens of faith. The Soulful Catholic likes to write about what God is doing in our lives today, right here and right now. Faith in Christ changes everything.

Sharing the love of God with basketball fans: You’re being recruited for an unbeatable team

Sharing the love of God with basketball fans: You’re being recruited for an unbeatable team

The Christmas lights have barely been packed away but the countdown to Lent has begun (Ash Wednesday is an unusually early Feb. 14 this year.) Which can only mean one thing: You’ll need to come up with your Lenten plan stat AND March Madness is right around the corner.

Now, why would The Soulful Catholic give a lick about the National Collegiate Athletic Association annual basketball tournament? And what, pray tell, does this have to do with Lent anyway?

Bringing them home: Reaching out to Catholics to welcome them back to the Church

Bringing them home: Reaching out to Catholics to welcome them back to the Church

You might not be surprised to learn that church attendance is down here and around the U.S.
Outside of Christmas and Easter, it’s not very often that you have a standing-room only crowd at church on Sunday. There’s a startling graph published by Pew Research that shows a steep decline in church attendance starting in 2007 when 54 percent of Americans said they attended religious services monthly or more.
By 2019, that number dropped to 45 percent. Pew also reported that during most of the Covid 19 pandemic, about 6 in 10 Americans did not take part in religious services in any way, including roughly 7 in 10 adults under age 30. Seventy percent of our young people are not going to church!

Saying yes to God in the ICU: Unexpected journey leads to deeper faith, trust in the Lord

Saying yes to God in the ICU: Unexpected journey leads to deeper faith, trust in the Lord

As they wheeled me into the ICU, I noticed the crucifix on the wall among all the other life-saving equipment. I was in a Catholic hospital, after all, and its catholicity was something that struck me again and again during my four-night stay.

What can only be described as one of the most terrible and yet somehow wonderful experiences of my life unfolded just a few weeks ago when I was sitting in the chapel at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in downtown Phoenix. Staff at the DPC are blessed to be able to attend Mass in the chapel most workdays.

Shortly after the Gospel was proclaimed and we settled into our pews, I felt as though someone punched me in the forehead.

Flowers on the shore of the Sea of Galilee

Meet Joyce

The Soulful Catholic

Wife. Mom. Regular, everyday person. God allowed me to write for The Catholic Sun for nearly two decades (not the Rosary kind, but more on that later!) I’m also a catechist and the editor of a community newspaper.

A conversion experience in 2010 changed my life forever and led to the writing of two novels about the plight of persecuted Christians. A third book, Daily Inspiration, rounds out my current titles.

I’ll speak to any group of one or more about God’s great mercy and how He intervened in my life in a miraculous way. Sometimes that means a parish mission or retreat but it might just be over tea.

Joyce in the Holy Land
Pictures taken on Joyce’s 2012 trip to the Holy Land.

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