Name

Catholic…what? Sistas? Isn’t that name a bit…strange?

It’s a question that honestly doesn’t come up frequently…sincerely. I probably wouldn’t fall off one hand the number of times it’s ever come up. But for those who are curious, and in the interest of transparency–yes, the blog is almost four years old–I thought it would be a good idea to share my own personal story of how I came up with the name.

Long ago in a Catholic forum online–ok, 11 years ago if you must know!–I came to know quite a few good Catholic women, some of whom write for the blog! I was not blessed to have any biological sisters, so these good ladies allowed me to refer to them as my “sistas.” Not the most culturally appropriate considering I am Mexican American – amigas or commadres would have been a more apt choice, but hey, I’m even told there are some Latinas who use sistas, too- but there it was. I liked it! It felt personal yet not too sugary sweet like ‘hon’ or ‘sug’ {pronounced “shoog” as Southerners like to say it}. It didn’t seem insincere.

Some years ago and just before the blog was born, I met with my parish priest one day. We met once a month to go over meeting details since I was the chairperson for our parish pastoral council. That day I happened to bring up an unrelated topic regarding a girlfriend. He quickly asked me if she was a sister or…a sista? I had to laugh. He understood.

When the blog was born, it was with the help of many friends who I had known over the years, some IRL {in real life} and quite a few I had gotten to know online over the years. I didn’t hesitate to call it Catholic Sistas. Why? It is a fun and engaging way of bringing the Faith to others. It represented not just who we were as people, as friends, but the spirit in which we intended to bring to the Catholic blogosphere. If you joined us at a coffee shop, you’d see the conversation was wide and varied, just like the blog. With so many unique voices and topics, the term sistas really captures the diversity of the blog’s writers, from casual and chatty, to insightful, up with current events, and even well-researched topics. Catholic Sisters didn’t fit because it sounds as though we have been called to the religious life. If you have followed any of our social media platforms such as Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, you see that we love to have fun in addition to adhering to the Magesterium. The name truly encapsulates the spirit of the blog. 🙂

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  • Karin Balkon ChudyAugust 2, 2015 - 10:19 pm

    I saw you pinned something of mine and pinterest and saw the blog name..I had to come over to see what it was all about. Being a cradle catholic I was delighted to see all the good stuff here! Thanks for all our good work!ReplyCancel

  • Emily MuscatAugust 4, 2015 - 8:11 am

    I like your list of ‘loves’. thanks.I like your website and mostly your work. I am from Malta. but i have travelled a lot to Africa mostly to Kenya and worked voluntary as a missionary in the Diocese of Garissa ,were last Easter time students were killed in the university.thank you for your website God bless all of you keep you in my prayers.ReplyCancel

  • Gail Jean ConiglioSeptember 22, 2015 - 9:12 am

    Congrats on your blog. I was wondering what “Perspective from the Neck” means? I’m interested to know.ReplyCancel

  • Catholic Art GuildSeptember 14, 2017 - 10:49 pm

    ****Press Release******
    Leading Artists, Architects, and Philosophers to Gather in Chicago for Sacred Arts Conference

    CHICAGO (September 14, 2017) – This October 29th, the Catholic Art Guild, a Chicago-based community of artists, will host a landmark conference bringing together leading philosophers and artists to rediscover the power of Beauty in the modern world.

    The conference, entitled “Beauty and the Restoration of the Sacred”, will feature English philosopher Sir Roger Scruton, well-known for his BBC documentary “Why Beauty Matters,” as well as architect Duncan Stroik, classical artist Anthony Visco, and art historian and educator Denis McNamara.

    The ground-breaking conference opens with a Solemn High Mass featuring Renaissance choral music in the baroque splendor of Chicago’s historic St. John Cantius Church, a parish well known for bringing beauty into Christian worship.

    Conference presentations and discussions will take place at the The Drake Hotel, followed by an elegant banquet, wine service, culminating in a stimulating panel discussion.

    “Beauty has been so denigrated in today’s culture as a result of prevalent utilitarian thinking. This unfortunately relegates those with artistic gifts to the periphery or worse, tells them their gifts are useless,” says organizer and guild President Kathleen Carr and nationally awarded fine artist. “We hope this conference will shine a light on the necessity of Beauty in today’s world.”

    All visual artists, designers, architects, art educators, and art lovers are welcome to attend. Tickets and more information can be found at http://www.CatholicArtGuild.orgReplyCancel

  • Anuj AgarwalOctober 14, 2017 - 2:30 am

    Hi Martina,

    My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.

    I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Catholic Sistas has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Catholic Blogs on the web.

    https://blog.feedspot.com/catholic_blogs/

    I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Catholic Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

    Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.

    Best,
    AnujReplyCancel

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