Hello Ann,

Long time listener and reader here. I have been meaning to write for a very long time. I just donated a few dollars your way in thanks and appreciation (and in total honesty, to also get on your Mass list as I could use a few extra prayers). I owe you a lot more than what I was able to currently give. You see, I have been a Catholic school teacher for 30+ years. I taught extracurricular classes for sometime before God decided I needed to teach religion. I say God, because I never had any aspiration to teach. How I got into teaching is a long story I won’t bore you with. But when I was given the opportunity to teach middle school and high school religion, I initially turned it down. After all, how could a public school kid from the south teach Catholicism? I would call myself an unlettered lay nothing, except I do have a few letters. And I can tell you, they aren’t worth the paper they are written on. I have learned more from you since 2011 than I ever have in a lecture hall. When I was asked to teach religion about 12 years ago I said no and then prayed about it. I discussed it with my husband and thought if I don’t do this, who will? So I set forth thinking for 12 years that I would be fired any minute. And you know what happened? Nothing. Nada. I attribute it to two things: 1) I prayed to the Holy Spirit every morning that I would only teach what God needed me to teach and with truth no matter the outcome (and it also helped that I asked Jesus, Mary, and St. Michael to be in my classroom keeping any evil out of my classroom) and 2) The truth cannot be argued with – because it’s the truth. You know what did happen? Students LOVED my classes. I have more thank you letters and kind words from parents than I can count.

What I learned all these years is this: kids (and adults) are yearning for truth. They literally thirst for it in this barren desert we call planet earth. When I would read your essays, the kids literally sat on the edge of their seats. In full honesty, I just referred to you as the best theologian I could find and I called you ‘Ann’. I didn’t use your full name because I knew the outcome. I was the only Trad Catholic in the department. I knew that most of my leftist co-workers didn’t like me. They were never outright ugly to my face, but I knew. And I continue to pray for them.

I’m trying to keep this brief as I’m sure you don’t have time to read a long essay, but, there is something that needs lots of prayers and attention. The way the Eucharist is handled and distributed in our Catholic Schools is mostly appalling. Most times that we had Mass, I left with tears in my eyes. I cannot tell you the number of protestant kids taking communion – or the number of hosts that fall on the floor – or how many times I had to go get a Host out of someones pocket. Not to mention the way that the sacred vessels are mishandled. Well, it was one too many times. I am no longer teaching and decided it was time to retire. I never needed the money or benefits (thanks be to God!). I did what I did for so many years solely because I thought it was what God wanted me to do with the gifts He graciously gave me. I tried to argue over and over again that we weren’t doing Eucharist correctly – and crickets. There were some changes that were made, but not enough in my mind. I want to see kids attend Mass, but what I want more is to see them attend correctly.

Like you, I look forward to the triumph of the Immaculate Heart. God will correct all of these errors. Of that, I am sure. I just no longer wanted to be part of the problem.

God bless you and thank you! (And Nurse Claire, Dr. Beep, Dr. Mazza, Mark, Supernerd, and Art Decco : )

M

PS: I am now the Ivermectin counselor in my area thanks to you and Nurse Claire! It’s too funny!!