(This is an excerpt from “The Spiritual Advent of Infertility” manuscript. This is the first in a 4-part series. You can find the links to parts 2, 3, and 4 at the end of this blog.) Infertility can be a very raw experience of loss and grief. A very basic part of the human experience is missing. How are we to make sense out of it all? The Nicene Creed shares with us the very basic tenets of our faith. It sheds light on our understanding of who God is and who we are in relatio

Sisters, have you ever felt anxiety over a situation beyond your control? Believed that you could never be loved because of what was physically and mentally wrong with you? It is not an uncommon position to find yourself in, even if in the moment it can seem like the most isolating time of your life. If you are struggling with anxiety, depression or other mental and emotional hardships, please take a moment to walk with a saint who has become a comfort to many in the faith, d

The Fruitful Hollow has been a beacon of hope and understanding for many of us carrying the cross of infertility, encouraging us to be...

“I’m going to be honest with you because someone needs to be. At your current weight, you have no business trying to conceive”. I steady...

(You can read part 1 of this series here .) I was staring at the ultrasound machine, hearing the explanation of how early it can pick up...

Before I write, I always seek God’s Word. His Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and so should my words be. He never fails to remind me...

It was movie night. I thought I was sitting down to watch a light-hearted horror movie (Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice). Instead, I had stumbled..

Society wants us to believe that a marriage is only fruitful when children come from it. If that were the case, what would be the purpose...

On a recent morning, I was in the throes of PMS (sometimes this verges on its more severe form, PMDD). I was tired after a restless night...

It is a precarious concept to open your mind and heart enough to ponder if suffering is a blessing from God. When I first began to write...

Dear sister, It’s a heavy cross, isn’t it? I know it has been hard. I know the mental load you are enduring. I know your pain. I know...

On July 26 the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, parents of Our Lady, and the fourth Sunday of July is therefore known..

Sometimes, tough seasons can go on indefinitely, and the levels of support you need may vary depending on the day. During your infertility..

How on earth could I worship an all-loving God week after week but believe He made a mistake when He made me? ...

A wise and holy priest once told me that we don’t get to Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Simply put, we must go through suffering to...

Our priest talked about how sin results in death – a moral death and existential death. Moral death in a person causes confusion, and the..

So, my dear friend, I challenge you to take up your thorn and make it flower. It may not be the flower you hoped and prayed for, but...

Struggling with infertility or loss can be a time of deep pain and sorrow, even to the point of having suicidal thoughts. Social media is filled with family photos and birth announcements. We open our emails to see invitations for baptisms and Holy Communion parties. Although we are happy for our friends and family, we are left wondering: “when will it be my turn?” These thoughts can escalate into sadness and despair. For some, this might become depression, for others anxiety

There have been so many times in the depths of my grief when I felt as if I, too, was hanging on to that single thread. After my losses...

As we begin Lent, I find myself being led to this moving icon of Christ by one favorite Dominican, Blessed Fra Angelico. Art has always...