For the past few years, OSV Daily Take has been my blogging home away from home, and I have Pope Benedict XVI to thank for it. And John Norton. Back in 2008, when the pope made his visit to New York, John asked me to make the trek from my home near Albany to my old stomping grounds in NYC to cover the event as a blogger. It was an amazing few days, and an experience that later blossomed into my stint as a regular blogger here.
I want to thank John Norton and Greg Erlandson for giving me the opportunity to have a voice here, and for letting me cover just about any topic that comes to mind without constraint. It's been a fun ride, but I've realized -- for a few reasons -- that the time has come for me to move on.
Mainly, I'm gearing up for the publication and promotion of two new books this fall. In November, Alpha (a division of Penguin USA) will publish "Everyday Divine: A Catholic Guide to Active Spirituality," and, in December, Ave Maria Press will publish "Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God." I hope I'll be able to pop back in toward the end of the year to share some information on these two topics, which are so much a part of my life and my spirituality these days.My busy schedule isn't the only factor in my leaving, however. Over the years, my writing has shifted quite a bit. I started as a Catholic journalist almost 30 years ago, focusing on news and feature stories. I've been writing for OSV Newsweekly for almost 20 years, many of them as a senior correspondent or contributing editor. But in recent years my writing has followed the trajectory of my spiritual life, moving away from headline-making hard news and toward introspective spiritual pursuits. I hope to be able to delve more deeply into that writing over at my own blog, Not Strictly Spiritual.
So it is with some sadness that I leave OSV Daily Take, but I'm hoping you'll see me here as a guest blogger from time to time, and certainly you'll find me in the pages of OSV Newsweekly now and then. Thank you for being a faithful reader, for your thoughtful comments, and your interest in all things Catholic. If you would like to follow me, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter (MaryDTP), at my own website, and at Not Strictly Spiritual.Although I didn't have as long a run as M*A*S*H, a favorite TV show of mine, it seems appropriate to end with the title of that series' finale: "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen."
