Family Faith Reflections from Chris

I’m a nerd. Like many nerds I can watch Star Wars and recite the dialogue word-for-word, but I’m the kind who can also pause any scene, point to a character off in the background, and tell you that character’s name and backstory. I’m extra nerd, and proud of it.
 
When it comes to my Catholic faith, I bring a little of that same fanboy flavor. My specialty is church history, so I can (and will!) tell you lots of stories of famous saints. Did you know that St. Francis was a failed crusader? Or which saint originally wanted to be an astronaut? (St. Maximilian Kolbe!) Sure, you can tell the story of our church in broad brushstrokes with just a few “major” saints, but to really capture the beauty, humor, and passion of our faith-family, one needs to meet some of the “background” characters too.
 
For the next few weeks, I’d like to dig into some of those fascinating un-famous saints you might not have met before. In particular, I’ll be looking for saints who
represent the diversity of our church — men and women of different cultures and ethnicities. But since I’m almost out of room already, let’s start with an easy one!


St. Jerome is best known as a translator of the Bible. Translating didn’t pay much, however, and Jerome found himself in Bethlehem, hungry, broke, and alone. There happened to be in Bethlehem a wealthy Christian widow, Paula, who lived with a few friends and used her fortune to feed the less fortunate. She met Jerome and, impressed by his knowledge and wisdom, Paula offered to sponsor his translation project if he would visit her house and teach her and her friends a Bible study. But this story isn’t really about him.
 
Paula and her friends were deeply committed to their faith: they studied together prayed together, worshipped together, and worked together. They organized their entire lifestyle around their little community of faith, and supported one another’s spiritual growth. St. Paula had created the first Christian convent, and she and her friends were the first Christian sisters!
 

So, the next time you drive by Valley Catholic (on Farmington Blvd. and Murray Blvd.), wave to the sisters and remember St. Paula, whose name is not well known but whose legacy truly is!