What Does Chastity Actually Mean?

Traditional. Pure. Restrictive. These are the words the culture uses to label chastity.  Even amongst Christians though, many of us lack a full understanding of this beautiful virtue. I’ve found that “chastity” oftentimes is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around in Catholic circles, leaving many young people confused and without a clear path…

Break Up Survival 101

There’s no sugarcoating it, break-ups suck. Like a LOT. You had so many dreams and hopes for the relationship, memories built up, perhaps even families and friends intertwined. Sometimes the split is mutual, sometimes it suddenly comes out of left field, sometimes there can be dishonesty and other people involved and it can be really,…

Don’t Get It Confused… Love Is More Than a Feeling 

I have a memory of a younger Me talking to my mom about boys and relationships when she suddenly said to me “You know, eventually I just had to CHOOSE to love your father.”  My little 13-year-old allusions about fairytales and love, that happily-ever-afters just naturally happened, that 2 people were just destined from the…

Boundaries for Guy-Girl Friendships

Once as I was walking to a college class with a guy friend, we ran into my very best friend on campus. As I was introducing them, he said “Hi! I’m Caroline’s boyfriend!” …Um, hello? He definitely wasn’t–especially because I had an actual boyfriend in a different city at that time. What about our friendship…

But We Never Even Dated

I know the pain of feeling an emotional “breakup”, even if the label of dating was never truly there.  Maybe this relationship was primarily over social media, or maybe it carried over into “real life”-hanging out without the label of boyfriend or girlfriend, but feeling more than friends, physical intimacy, or emotional intimacy much different…

[Single] Life is Worth Living

In 1952, a Catholic bishop named Fulton Sheen won an Emmy Award for “Most Outstanding Television Personality.” His show appealed to as many as 10 million viewers each week. The title was simple, yet profound: Life is Worth Living. Through all sufferings, through all the impossibilities and fears which live rent-free in our mind, your…

Approaching the “Chastity Conversation”

I know from experience that talking about chastity with the person you are newly dating can be intimidating. When I first started going on dates with my current boyfriend, I was so nervous to tell him how I wanted to be in a chaste relationship.  Yet, after our second date, I knew I needed to…

Needs Vs. Nice To Haves

When I was a student in high school, I heard a women’s talk at a conference.  During this conference, the speaker talked about the list of standards we must have as women for the men we choose to date. Afterwards, we were encouraged to write down attributes that were mandatory.  Following our own personal brainstorming,…