Photo by Emily April Allen
Hello and thank you for visiting!
Recently published writings are posted below.
Biographical information is on the About/Contact page.
Information about my Vanderbilt University Press book on Fr. Aloysius Orengo, The Apostle of Tennessee, is at this link.
Selected essays, book reviews and other articles are in the Selected Writings Portfolio.
Events are dates for discussions or lectures around The Apostle of Tennessee. The Notes section is exactly that, kind of like a blog or a Substack with short notes about the book and other things.
Writings about the Italian American author Pietro Di Donato are at this link.
Other things can be found in the links in the menu.
Thanks!
Recent Writings
I Want to Believe: ‘Give Us This Day’ Reflection for September 29, 2026
Reflection for the readings for Tuesday, September 29, 2026 (Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Feast) and the Gospel of John 1:47-51 for Give Us This Day (Liturgical Press). Used with permission. Learn more and subscribe at giveusthisday.org. Today’s Gospel reading...
How a File Cabinet From the World Trade Center Site Came to the Tennessee State Museum
For the Tennessee State Museum Thousands of Stories blog, an exploration of how a file cabinet recovered from the World Trade Center site after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, founds its way to the Museum's collection. Read more at the Tennessee State...
All Glory: ‘Give Us This Day’ Reflection for May 17, 2026
Reflection for the readings for the Second Sunday of Easter and the Gospel of John, 17:1-11a, May 17, 2026, for Give Us This Day (Liturgical Press). Used with permission. Learn more and subscribe at giveusthisday.org. Today’s Gospel from John, also known as part of...
The Prayer and Preservation of Bringing Communion to the Sick
November 17, 2025 – In Chapter 16, a new personal essay on my experience bringing Holy Communion to my mother-in-law in the months prior to her passing.
Centerfold
September 21. 2025 – A personal essay about being a young child and discovering the power of words and music.
The Blessing of Cheering People On
June 16, 2025 - In America Magazine, an essay/reflection about the blessings that come with encouragement. Read more in America Magazine.
Review: Father Charles Strobel’s Life of Servant Leadership
April 17, 2025 – In America Magazine, a review of Fr. Charles Strobel’s posthumous memoir, “The Kingdom of the Poor: My Journey Home.
Reflecting on Summer Reading
May 2, 2024 – In Tennessee Home & Farm, a reflection on summer reading and the places books take us — and take us back to — long after we’ve put them down.
Forming Sisters for Service
Jan. 18, 2024 – In America Magazine, how a New Jersey college educates women religious from around the world.
Mother Cabrini on Managing Separation Anxiety
November 13, 2023 - In Today’s American Catholic, an essay/reflection on a prayerful communication technique used by Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, as detailed in a letter from the saint published in Pietro Di Donato's 1960 biography, "The Immigrant Saint." Read more...