2017 was a year of witnessing God’s providence. In January, my parents and I were getting ready to go to Mass. However, my mom wasn’t feeling well. She thought her stent had moved out of place. I knew how badly she wanted to go to Mass that day, because Archbishop Hebda was presiding. So, I prayed she’d feel well enough to go. Thankfully, she was able to attend. It was a beautiful Mass and an honor to sing with the choir.
After Mass, there was a reception for the Archbishop and he was visiting Father Jerry’s creche display. I didn’t stay at the reception long, because I had to get to my friend Marissa’s birthday party. So, my mom went home with me. She held onto my arm as we walked from the social hall into the lunch room.
When we got to the lunch room, Father Jerry and Archbishop Hebda were looking at Father’s creches. Father Jerry told Archbishop Hebda about my mom’s cancer. Then, Archbishop Hedba asked my mom if he could give her a blessing. She agreed.
The next day, my mom felt so much better. I’m confident God used Archbishop Hedba to heal my mom. She told her doctor her stent had felt like it moved out of place. However, he said it’d be unusual for a stent to move back into place.
Witnessing God’s Providence at Theology on Tap
A few weeks later, I was at Theology on Tap for Grill the Archbishop. After the talk was over, I went up to Archbishop Hebda and explained he had been at my parish recently. I thanked him for the blessing he gave my mom. I also told him she felt so much better the next day. Archbishop Hedba said he’d pray for her. When I got home, I told my mom I talked with Archbishop Hebda. I also said he was going to pray for her.
Witnessing God’s Providence While Discerning His Will
As February rolled on, I was still trying to figure out what God wanted me to do with my life. I was continuing to teach Family Formation, but that was very part-time. So, I decided to pray St. Joseph Novena. I was hoping for some direction about what to do for work if I didn’t have a job after the Novena.
I had an overwhelming feeling I was supposed to go back to school for digital marketing while I was praying the Novena. A few months earlier, I had another opportunity of witnessing God’s providence. I went to dinner at Houlihan’s with my parents and we saw the parents of a woman who I went to elementary and middle school with. Mark knew I had worked in TV news and I told him I was looking for jobs in marketing and public relations. Mark was working with a public relations firm and offered to put me in touch with a contact from there. I said I was interested.
Going Back to School
A few weeks after I saw Mark and Kathy, Mark sent me the link to an article that talked about why those who had worked in TV news were good fits to work in content marketing. The article also talked about the challenges those who worked in TV news might face when applying for content marketing jobs and how you could overcome those obstacles. I felt like that article described the story of my job search.
The article mentioned you could improve your chances of landing a job in content marketing by getting certified in digital marketing. It talked about completing an online program through the Digital Marketing Institute. I thought about signing up in the fall, but tech week was coming up for “The Reluctant Dragon,” so it wasn’t good timing. However, I wasn’t in a show at the time, so I signed up for the Digital Marketing Institute’s 24-week professional diploma program. I never thought I’d go back to school at age 30, but it felt right.
Hearing From “The Catholic Spirit”
During the Novena, I also contacted “The Catholic Spirit,” which is the newspaper for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. I asked about freelance opportunities and talked about my work experience. The assistant editor emailed me back and asked me if I could send her some writing samples. During the fall, I applied for a reporter job with “The Catholic Spirit,” but I didn’t get it.
The day after I finished the St. Joseph Novena, my mom and I went to Adoration. We came back to my mom’s office after Adoration, so she could grab her stuff before heading home. I also decided to check my phone. “The Catholic Spirit” emailed me. The editor told me the annual WINE (Women in the New Evangelization) Catholic Women’s Conference was the following weekend at Mary Mother of the Church in Burnsville. She asked if I was interested in covering it.
I told my mom the assistant editor from “The Catholic Spirit” had emailed me about covering the WINE conference. I was overjoyed to be reporting again, even if it wasn’t on TV. Then, I realized the conference was on February 25. That’s the same day I started by job at WEAU four years prior. There was another example of witnessing God’s providence. The next day, I received an email from the assistant editor explaining who I needed to contact before the conference and the focus of my story.
Covering the WINE Conference
The theme of the conference was “Small Things, Great Love: It’s What We Do,” which is something St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke about. My article focused on the talks from keynote speakers Lisa Hendey, who founded CatholicMom.com and Sister Clare Matthiass, who is now Mother Clare Matthiass and a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.
Hendey’s talk highlighted the lives of various female saints and encouraged attendees to think about women in their lives who are “saints in the making.” Sister Clare’s talk focused on spiritual motherhood. Sister Clare said all women are called to spiritual motherhood, regardless of their vocation. She also showed a short film called “For Love Alone,” which profiled women who discussed their calls to religious life and what it’s like to be a religious sister. I also asked women who attended the conference what they thought about the speakers.
Attending the WINE Conference was a great experience. It was refreshing to see women of various ages there. After the conference, I stayed for Mass, which Bishop Cozzens was presiding for. As I was working on the article, I kept thinking about how much I was enjoying writing it and how I wanted to write more in the future. Seeing my article in “The Catholic Spirit” was rewarding.
