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Essays by 2021-22 Emerging Writers
Processing Our National Grief
May 29, 2023
On this Memorial Day, Ellen Spero considers how the Vietnam War Memorial provides an example of the ongoing process of grief in community that might also guide us in the wake of Covid-19.Read more »Relieving Anxiety through Yoga
May 22, 2023
Lauren L. Murphy has found a way to move from anxiety to rest and peace. In the practice of yoga, she grounds her body, stills her mind, and connects to her Benedictine spirituality.Read more »My Father’s Blessing
May 15, 2023
Nabuule Vivian shares her process as she seeks to reconcile the ancestor religion of her father and grandfather with the Catholicism of her family and upbringing. What is conveyed by her father's blessing?Read more »Finding the Gifts of the Asian American Church
May 8, 2023
In this profound essay, Julie Yeeun Kim urges Asian American Christians to confront and explore the pain of their particular experience, to wrestle with God, in order to discover their unique gifts.Read more »Exploring Grief in Community
May 1, 2023
Through groups like Grieving Our Mothers and grieving rituals with African origins, Black Atlantans are finding ways to grieve in community, to unite in remembrance of those lost and process grief together.Read more »Bound in Translation
April 4, 2023
On this first day of Passover, on the verge of Holy Week, we offer this essay by Ellen Spero reflecting on her sacred experience studying the story of Abraham and Isaac.Read more »A Stranger’s Benediction
March 20, 2023
An encounter at a car rental shop exposes the complications of being an "illegal immigrant" and results in an unexpected moment of grace.Read more »Protect Us in Our Anxiety
March 6, 2023
Lauren Murphy recounts a subtle change to Mass that helped her come to terms with mental health struggles, and how faith and anxiety can co-exist.Read more »Deconstruction: A New Recipe for My Faith
March 2, 2023
Pastor Mashaun D. Simon explains how deconstructing his faith has resulted not in loss of faith but a revitalization.Read more »The Liberating Grace of Ashes
February 22, 2023
On Ash Wednesday, Nabuule Vivian recounts her early experiences of the day as a hospital chaplain intern, and an experience that changed her perception of the ministry.Read more »
Essays by 2020-21 Emerging Writers
A Wound and a Gift: Forgiveness and Restoration in Prison
July 26, 2021
For two men, one wrongly convicted and the other guilty of first degree murder, conversion to Christianity provides a way forward to forgiveness and restoration.Read more »The Community’s Prayers Are My Prayers: A Life of Faith in Prison
July 22, 2021
For Christians incarcerated for first degree murder in Illinois, their faith can be a source of reconciliation and hope.Read more »When Monsters Are Real
July 1, 2021
For Black filmmakers, the horror genre illuminates the evil and terror often underlying mundane encounters in a racist society.Read more »Taking Off the Crown of Creation
June 28, 2021
What happens when we adjust our theology to see humans as part of creation rather than at the top of it?Read more »Husband, Father, and Living a “Religious Life”?
June 24, 2021
When I one day meet God face-to-face, will I be able to look him in the eye and say, “I heard your call. I heeded you”?Read more »
