tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58267662024-03-07T08:58:39.991-05:00The Big DunkOn September 10, 2003 I was baptized and born again. Nearly 10 years later I was confirmed and received into the Roman Catholic Church.
This is the true story of my walk with Christ.Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.comBlogger717125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-47490922614359093992020-08-02T16:28:00.002-04:002020-08-02T16:28:31.101-04:00Intermittent Fasting Has Changed My LifeLast Summer versus this month I know it is weird. Despite the chaos and pervasive darkness in the world around us right now, I am in a season of great joy and thanksgiving. In many ways, I am more content and at peace than I have been in years.How is that possible? For me, I think it is a culmination of new habits and tools that have finally helped me feel like I am on track and Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-29035535115083707092020-05-15T21:43:00.002-04:002020-08-05T08:51:14.656-04:00Stay AwakePay attention, church.
We are here, in the midst of the pandemic. This is a moment of God moving across the face of the earth. This is the moment when we who have been practicing our faith for years, are called to step in, lean in, be salt and light.
Woe to us if we let this moment slip by. Woe to us if we make an idol of 'normal' life. A life that no longer exists. Don't worship that life. Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-21101667802025539322017-07-01T10:11:00.000-04:002017-07-01T10:24:52.437-04:00A death in the familyMy house is full of memories. Every time I sit on the porch, I think of Peter, my spiritual director.
For over 13 years, on a monthly basis, he would come up the front stairs. Towards the end, it grew harder. Even the two steps sometimes posed a challenge, especially going down. I talked to Nguyen about building a railing. I even looked them up on Amazon. But somehow, in the hustle and Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-57819811991835090782017-06-14T10:16:00.000-04:002017-07-01T10:19:24.318-04:00LossThe last several weeks have been a series of losses.
On May 17th, my mother, Pat Hegnauer, died. She lost a long a fierce battle with alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency, a lung disorder that gave her COPD at the end of her life.
A few days later, I learned that my spiritual director, Fr. Peter D'Alesandre, had died on May 16th in the same hospice facility. I still am not sure how Peter died.Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-37874424009752401532017-04-01T12:50:00.000-04:002017-04-01T12:50:05.686-04:004 Years InOn Thursday, I had the opportunity to share my conversion story with the Young Adult Group at Pius V Church in Providence. It was a lovely night. It started with an hour of Adoration and prayer, followed by a Benediction by the priest. We headed downstairs to a comfortable lounge filled with sofas and armchairs. I spoke for at least an hour and answered questions for another 30 minutes or so Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-25361058025256272212015-11-22T21:35:00.000-05:002015-11-22T21:35:04.828-05:00BreathlessFor 25 years we have known, but it doesn't make it easier when things shift- when my mom was rushed to the hospital by ambulance for respiratory failure. COPD brought on by a genetic disorder that my kids and I carry, but don't, thank God, have. Our lungs are fine. Our lungs can repair themselves and then behave as they should. But hers have been on overdrive for years, cleaningAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467562129903999562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-69114861434310117662015-11-08T17:01:00.002-05:002015-11-08T17:04:03.785-05:00CanceledI was supposed to go on retreat last weekend. It was canceled at the last minute for lack of participation. I was utterly crushed. For weeks I had been looking forward to time away from the hubub of life. A whole weekend of silence, listening, resting in Him, and walking. But on Thursday I got a call that it was not happening.
I went home and cried. Big, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08467562129903999562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-20953861542631072692015-09-29T08:40:00.000-04:002015-09-29T08:52:30.672-04:00Heaven on EarthI was a lector that day. After the consecration, I was standing behind the altar with the Eucharistic ministers and the altar servers. The priest, Fr. Mongeon, was saying the final prayer before giving communion. "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb."
And suddenly, I felt a wave of peace. &Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-36976217731131177832015-07-14T11:19:00.001-04:002015-07-14T11:19:37.183-04:00RIP John Michael 13 years ago, as I was just beginning my walk as a Christian, I joined the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship forum online. Through it, I met many good people. I went to the annual convention. I wrote about my conversion to Christianity and it was published in a book on UU Christianity. I eventually left the Unitarian Church and lost touch with most of my UU Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-4362871748555517142014-07-07T12:48:00.002-04:002014-07-07T12:58:28.602-04:00Life in a Catholic parishWe have a new priest at St. Catherine's. His name is Fr. Plante and he seems like a good guy. That isn't really all that remarkable. What has been remarkable for me, as a new Catholic, is the way that the new priest was installed.
In my old Episcopal Church, when the priest retired, it was nearly a two year process to replace him. There was a 'self study' conducted that Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-23682986259736642672014-07-07T12:45:00.001-04:002014-07-07T13:04:18.256-04:00The deepest truth about me....is my faith in Jesus Christ. It is the thing that drives everything. It is the thing that has taught me to love you unconditionally. The thing that draws me to try and do good in the world. The thing that helps me ask forgiveness when I screw up. The thing that has helped me raise two stunningly wonderful young men. The thing that keeps me coming back, even Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-70891157577636524952014-04-08T08:20:00.002-04:002014-04-08T08:20:35.826-04:00out of the darknessI have been struggling for most of the last year with desolation. It has been a dark time for me. It has been very hard.
Fortunately, through all of it, I never really lost the sense of God's presence. I felt him there, quietly egging me on, inviting me to plumb the depths of my soul, inviting me to trust him.
In desolation it is easy to second guess every decision, question Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-22785172326838568822014-03-11T08:21:00.000-04:002014-04-08T08:23:13.638-04:00Hey Jesus, got a minute?I knew this was going to be hard. I had glimpses of how much of a challenge this was going to be. But Jesus, I didn't know it was going to be this hard. This painful. I had no idea how agonizing it was going to be to feel this isolated. This is one heck of a cup, this chalice of yours. Never, since following you, have I struggled so much.
Jesus. I Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-12305989229922112112014-02-19T08:21:00.000-05:002014-04-08T08:23:01.345-04:00The desert timeGiven the many things I was worried about as I considered joining the Catholic church, isolation never really came up. I had no idea how alone this was going to feel. I never realized how hard it was going to be to always be going to Mass alone. How it was going to be to essentially be in the closet with my faith at work. In a weird way, my experience mirrors that of my Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-36898949743225066252014-01-12T10:32:00.000-05:002014-01-12T10:32:53.260-05:00The Baptism of the Lord...instead of feeling guilty that I am not going to church with my kids and husband, maybe I could take a moment to relish the quiet emptiness of my house. The sound of the birds. The feel of the black leather bound copy of the Liturgy of the Hours in my hands. The gentle gnaw of hunger in my stomach, reminding me that I am fasting in preparation for the most Holy of Holy thingsRachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-36746751427975350152014-01-11T12:27:00.001-05:002014-01-11T12:27:53.751-05:00A Good ChristianRecently a Christian acquaintance made a distinction between a Catholic and an Evangelical, stating that the Evangelical is a 'good' Christian and clearly implying that the Catholic is not. (She wasn't aware of my conversion.)
I did not respond except to laugh and say that I suspected there is no such thing as a 'good' Christian. We all are mediocre at best. We strive to live Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-56068023766546000252014-01-05T19:37:00.000-05:002014-01-05T19:41:04.666-05:00EpiphanyMy priest chose Epiphany to share he is retiring in 6 months due to health reasons. He told me yesterday after I made confession. To be honest, I was a little bit at a loss for words. I said something about praying for him and gave him a quick hug. Oddly, I wished him a happy new year. Perhaps it doesn't feel particularly happy.
This morning, our associate priest joined Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09434026200719982549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-87619742751466161752013-12-04T22:00:00.000-05:002013-12-04T22:00:25.548-05:00ListenI have found, since becoming a Catholic, that folks have a lot of questions about the church. What is all this with Mary? I don't understand Purgatory. I can't get my head around the saints, the Eucharist, the liturgy.
The funny thing is that people rarely ask me to explain these things. They will give me the list of their objections, but won't invite my perspective. &Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-64187527907364119882013-11-23T10:05:00.000-05:002013-11-23T10:05:04.839-05:00Wedding Ring WrangleWhile planning to rededicate our marriage, my priest mentioned that he would bless our wedding rings. I felt a moment of anxiety. I haven't worn my wedding ring for at least a couple of years, because I am a drummer and I was worried that constantly taking it off to play would make it more likely that I would lose it.
So I went home and started looking for my ring.
Which I couldn't Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-1076649588122862622013-11-12T16:05:00.000-05:002013-11-12T16:07:32.074-05:00Into the silence 2.0Last year about this time I went away for a silent retreat and came back a Roman Catholic. In the silence, I heard God asking me if I was willing to carry the cross. I heard God calling me to the Catholic faith. I remember how it felt. I cried a lot. I felt joy and terror and peace and Jesus. It was such a big, sweet, loving, encounter.
Simon of Cyrene was Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-32840305220658549912013-11-09T13:45:00.000-05:002013-11-12T16:09:42.193-05:00Elizabeth ClaireI have never gotten a straight answer for why you had to die. I have heard, variously, that you were going to have some sort of birth defect, or that you were going to be a financial burden. I suspect it was deeper than any of those things.
But I am sure that if you had made it into the world, we would have loved you, regardless of your health or costs.
And though in this life I Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-83048494321448409932013-11-09T12:48:00.002-05:002013-11-09T12:48:45.475-05:00Prayed upThis past week has been an extremely busy one for me and my team at CareNet. We were getting ready for our annual banquet and were expecting 560 people. Always, always, there are dozens of last minute additions, changes, cancellations, and table shifts. In the midst of all of this frenzy, I need, as the main speaker, to remain in a place of calm, open to the quiet promptings of Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-4180965628535069842013-11-05T22:27:00.001-05:002013-11-05T22:27:32.108-05:00I count it joyI love being a Catholic. Never have I felt closer to Jesus. Never have I felt more in tune with God. I am on the ride of my life in the church that Jesus himself established and it is incredible. I get to take communion. I get to sit in adoration. I get to pray the psalms. I am standing just inside the door of the body of Christ himself.
I love being a Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-49995740402892867452013-11-05T22:22:00.000-05:002013-11-05T22:28:58.148-05:00Divine liturgy is, well, Divine.A friend suggested I pray the daily office. (If you must know, it was my spiritual director. About 10 years ago.)
As an Episcopalian, I found it a bit complicated. I had an Book of Common Prayer, but it didn't actually contain the readings for the office... so you had to look them up in the bible, flipping back and forth. It was a pain, frankly. There were versions Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826766.post-89107072431240308442013-11-03T00:34:00.001-04:002013-11-03T00:34:19.160-04:00It's not that badAt first it was like somebody shoving a knife into my heart. I felt sick in my stomach. I felt anger and pain, sorrow, sadness and rejection. Someone finally withdrew their support from my organization because they believe that the Catholic Church teaches heresy. Does that make me a heretic, I wonder? Ah well. No matter. While the enemy is having a field day watching Rachel Nguyenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534890739695708419noreply@blogger.com0