My husband and I are "cradle Catholics", born into the Latin Rite. We are presently studying about Eastern Catholicism - not to be confused with Eastern Orthodoxy. Eastern Catholicism refers to the twenty-three Eastern rites who are in union with Pope John Paul II. I guess this explains the emphasis on Eastern Catholicism on my page.

(I had to change this bio a bit because recently people have been emailing me thinking that I was considering leaving the Catholic Church for Eastern Orthodoxy! Let me just affirm that I have no intention whatsoever of ever abandoning the Holy Father! If I feel called to switch rites - and I am still waiting on God about that - then I will join an Eastern Catholic rite in union with Pope John Paul II.)

My patron saints are Saint Rose of Lima (August 23), Saint Rose of Viterbo (September 4) and Saint Barbara the Great-Martyr (December 4). But I also consider the Blessed Virgin Mary to be my Patroness under her title "Mystical Rose" (Rosa Mystica in Latin). As you can probably tell from the title, this page is under the patronage of Maria Rosa Mystica.

On the Internet, I sometimes go by the nickname "Mystic Rose" (such as in my email address). This is actually a rarely-used, alternate translation of Rosa Mystica (the more popular ones being "Mystical Rose" and "Rose of Mysticism"). Not that I think I'm the Virgin Mary (I'm not!), I just adopted her title because of my love for her, and because I think "Mystic Rose" sounds pretty cool :-).

I set up this home page for two reasons. First, I wished to bring more spirituality to the Internet, since it just seemed too worldly, and did not feed the soul. Thankfully, more spiritually-oriented websites have appeared since then, and there's always room for more!

Second, I wanted to share with others some things which I have learned about Catholicism during an in-depth, personal study of the Faith over the past seven years. My formal Catholic education was extensive; as a public school student in elementary school I attended CCD classes every Sunday (and found religion fascinating even back then). In seventh grade I started Catholic school, and attended Catholic educational institutions through college (where I minored in Religious Studies). Since I took religion courses all along, I guess I received a religious education which was more extensive than some Catholics get (especially those whose religious instruction ends with Confirmation).

Yet in all those years of classroom instruction, I never learned about the Church's teaching on Grace, or her real teachings on human sexuality. These subjects were either ignored or misrepresented. I also learned almost nothing about Sacramentalism, or the "Familial" model of the Church and how it relates to the saints, the pope, etc.

It took years of personal study - including accredited correspondence courses, reading numerous theology texts, etc. - to learn these awesome truths, especially the truth of Grace. So now I want to share what I have learned with others (hopefully) for their benefit (especially those unable to dedicate years to an in-depth study of theology!)

I am currently continuing my education, and will soon begin working towards a Masters in Religious Studies, or possibly an MA in Theology! If I go for the latter I also hope to go on for a Doctorate, God willing.

I am not a perfect human being; Lord knows I don't "have it all together". I still sin like everyone else; I still stumble along in faith, not always sure of God's mysterious plan. Please don't think I have "arrived" at some pinnacle of spirituality (Theology does not make you a saint!). I simply come to you as a sister who wishes to share some things which God has chosen to reveal to me. My prayer is that these truths touch you and help you in your walk with the Lord.