My journey toward Catholicism began when I attended a small, intimate prayer session led by a group of college students in our evangelistic Protestant congregation. The talented young leader guided us in prayer amidst electrifying contemporary worship music. A wave was rippling through our church - one which may have been present since ever there were youth in a church congregation. These beloved kids invited us old folk to be a part of something deeper, more authentic~~to have a true encounter with the Holy Spirit.

While the narrative of the press persists in focusing on the differences between Pope Francis and his predecessors, one venerable tradition of the modern day Papa is that of drive-by baby-kissing...Pope Francis himself did this many times on Tuesday prior to his inaugural Mass. One of the children cried post-swooping, and Papa tenderly caressed its face and planted a kiss right on its nose! I'm sure the nose was a little bit snotty, and the cheeks must have been stained with tears.

I woke up on 3/13 proclaiming, Today is the day. Not as though my determination had any true prophetic value; but after waking up and frantically scouring the internet to make sure I had not missed an announcement about the election of the Pope, and seeing that we had the opportunity to witness the telltale smoke that morning, I turned on the live feed of the smokestack on the Sistine Chapel and set up the wee screen of my cell phone in plain view of all the members of the house, certain a momentous day awaited us.

Some of you may find this story interesting. It is actually longer to tell than I expected, so I am breaking it up into parts. What I have noticed is that many people in attendance at the Byzantine Catholic Church are actually Roman Catholics who attend out of love for the Liturgy. Recently, I wrote His Grace Bishop Dino a letter in hopes that I may make my membership in the Byzantine Catholic Church official. Please pray for me.

I work in a challenging environment when outside of the home. It can be very dirty. We who work there see and experience very disturbing things. I hear profanity almost continuously on some days, some of which is directed toward me. Most of the time while there, I experience peace in my heart. This week, my patience and compassion have both run terribly thin.

Forgiveness Sunday ushered in the Great Fast for Byzantine Catholics last weekend. A beautiful tradition unfolded before me during Vespers after the Divine Liturgy. First, we each approached our priest. "Forgive me, a sinner," we requested of him. "May God forgive you," he responded. "Forgive me, a sinner." "May God forgive you," we each responded. How joyous to enter the rigors of Lent in a state of unity with our brothers and sisters.

Having imposed a Facebook fast on myself (and dearly wishing to abandon it the moment something like this happens), I will simply copy the words I sent to one of my friends who messaged me privately about the Pope's renunciation of the Chair of Peter.

Last week, a Facebook friend of mine abruptly deleted her account. Her husband posted a quick note that she had left and wouldn't be coming back. She did this for very noble reasons. And I can't say I don't fantasize about doing the same.