The Catholic Church is the very center of my existence. To receive the Eucharist each Sunday at Mass means that I am welcoming Christ into my heart, and through a relationship with Him, I can face whatever the week may bring. Raised Catholic, I left the Church for over 20 years and became a fervent atheist and feminist, even choosing to end an unwanted pregnancy. This decision caused me years of grief.

When I returned to the Church in my forties, I found what I had lost during those 20 years, which was meaning, joy and hope. I also found forgiveness for the abortion. Today, as a woman who happily defines herself as traditional, I embrace all the Church's teachings, especially those that emphasize the preciousness of human life from conception until death. I also accept that women cannot become priests because this teaching is based on the actions of Christ himself, who chose men for his apostles. Catholic women have many ways to serve God and others, which is what Christianity is all about.

As for the future of the Catholic Church, I will echo Southern writer Flannery O'Connor: I am confident that the Church will endure and flourish, because the Church is guided by Christ himself.