Author Archive for Kathleen Woodman

Kathleen Woodman is a wife and mother of six girls, a grandmother, a veteran home educator, and an artist. She also promotes theology of the body, and has a B.S. in Business Administration.

The Unsettling Witness of Pope Francis
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The Unsettling Witness of Pope Francis

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For a pontiff who is so big on emphasizing mercy, Pope Francis knows how to make me squirm. His witness for Christ turns the tables on my tendency to make my faith all about me. With a steady stream of up-ending spiritual remarks, the Holy Father has a way of capsizing my comfort zone. His […]

Looking for Clarity? Try St. Francis de Sales
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Looking for Clarity? Try St. Francis de Sales

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We are all called to holiness. Sometimes this can seem like an impossible call, especially when things get tough. And, at times the path to heaven can look like a fork in the road. What to do? If you read the lives of the saints, you’ll discover that they’re all so different that no one […]

Dear Saint Anthony, Look Around . . .
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Dear Saint Anthony, Look Around . . .

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Like a log rolling down an easy hill, I drifted out of bed late one morning in a tired funk. Dragging along at a snail’s pace, my mental fog would sharply clear up when I opened my refrigerator door. Resembling a hungry beast with a wide open mouth, the deep expanse of whiteness and sparsely […]

Book Review: <em>In Our Backyard</em>
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Book Review: In Our Backyard

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 There’s a brutal invasion sweeping across our country, attacking our decency and humanity from the inside out. While we enjoy eating fresh produce, consuming chocolate candy, staying at a clean hotel, or getting our nails done, human trafficking has often been crouching in the background as a ruthless supplier for these goods and services.  Other […]

Movie Review: <em>WARRIOR</em>
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Movie Review: WARRIOR

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In an emotionally charged scene, Tom Conlon, seated at a slot machine, is shouting at his father, Paddy Conlon. With a pleading tone, Paddy is patiently trying to empathize and reconnect with his son. Tom will have none of it, and tells his father it’s too late, lamenting how his dad wasn’t the father he needed […]

A Royally Happy Outcome
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A Royally Happy Outcome

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Looking like the princess that she is, the lovely Catherine Middleton today became the wife of Prince William. It was a wedding that had the attention of people the world over. I watched the beautiful ceremony with my daughters this morning, enjoying the vestiges of Catholicism still quite boldly present, such as the occasional use […]

Suffering with Those Who Suffer
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Suffering with Those Who Suffer

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Heading home from school, I heard only my solitary footsteps hitting the sidewalk, and the rustling of books shifting in my book bag. Looking unruly and uncivilized, with an air of foreboding, a long patch of woods surrounded me on both sides of the street.   Not seeing anyone else around, I began to feel uneasy. […]

Cl83 - bratton notxt web
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John Paul II, Family Size, and Christian Prudence

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Years ago, after attending a natural family planning class my husband and I had taught, one of the students called me to tell me why she wasn’t coming to the next class.  After a brief span of conversation that let me know she felt very intimate with God, she proceeded to inform me that the […]

Knockin' on Heaven's Door
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Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

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We and our 4 daughters, ages 13 down to 1, needed a home, and we needed it soon.  Our 6-month lease was soon to expire, and our family was living a make-do lifestyle in an apartment.  Everything about our living space spoke the language of “temporary” — some nearly-weightless plastic chairs; a white, wobbly table with […]

Beyond the Power of Angels
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Beyond the Power of Angels

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Like a lot of other people, I have been very busy this season, and even though I’ve taken time off from my usual homeschooling schedule, I’ve managed to find plenty to keep me just as occupied as usual.  I have to watch my use of time, as I sometimes treat it as something that needs […]