Q: First, tell us a little about yourself–where you live, your family, how long you’ve been at DE, and what you did before coming here.
A: I am what you can call an Irish Catholic girl from Boston. I grew up in a family of six children, three boys and three girls, all born within six years (My brother and I are actually Irish twins). I was raised in a Catholic home, attended Catholic schools, and went on to college in Connecticut where I earned a Degree in Broadcast Communications, with minors in Journalism and Sociology. I spent my entire career in television, radio, and print. Most recently I spent a wonderful ten years as the President of several Catholic radio stations in Massachusetts before joining Decided Excellence Catholic Media where I have worked for two years. I married an Irishman so I have two grown sons, Kevin and David, who are both engaged to be married in early 2024!
Q: What do you love most about working at DE?
A: What I love most about DE is the mission and the amazing people executing the mission to bring love, peace and God to everyone. The world can be a dark and difficult place to navigate these days but DE offers a refuge from that with a free monthly “manual for light, hope, and faith”. We all need that and it is easier to find the good in this world with an instruction manual!
Q: Are you a morning person or a night person?
A: I have always been a night person because I want to squeeze every hour out of each day that I have been given. My day is filled with responsibilities, work activities, and chores. However, my nights are like the second half of a football game. There is a whole other half of the game still left to play! Plus, the sun never sets for the cool, right??
Q: If you could speak any new language, what would it be?
A: If I could speak any new language, it would be Baby. Imagine being able to understand what a newborn is seeing and thinking for the first time, hearing what is on their mind with every new experience they encounter. I would be able to tell them I love them a million times a day in their language, and I would ask them not to spit up on my new cashmere sweater…again. I would also better understand their needs more immediately to cut down on the crying and get more sleep…
Q: What book could you read over and over again?
A: One book that I do return to on a regular basis is EVERYDAY PRAYERS for EVERYDAY CARES For Mothers from author Vicki J. Kuyper. It is my secret weapon that grounds me, calms me, and reinvigorates me as I manage a busy life and fulfill my roles as a mom, a publisher, a Christian, a woman. The simple prayers and selected scriptures encourage and uplift me and have been placed in categories so you can find exactly what emotion you are feeling and come back to a place of peace in your heart and mind in just a couple of minutes. This is a great book for parents!
Q: What does a perfect day off look like for you?
A: For me, a perfect day off is waking up in my summer beach home in Connecticut on a warm, sunny day with my grown sons Kevin (and his wife Kelsey) and David (and his wife Denise) at home, too, and walking the few steps across the beach to the ocean’s edge, hopping on my boat, and spending the day boating, waterskiing, swimming and sun tanning with family, relatives and friends. Now, back to reality…
Q: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
A: I could not go a day without my Faith. It is my mental, physical, and spiritual lifeline in this complex world. All that I do, all that I believe, all of my actions come from my indefatigable belief in my Catholic Faith. The best part about faith in God? It is free and there for the taking 24/7 at any time for EVERYBODY.
Q: What’s your favorite liturgical season and why?
A: To me the Triduum is the Church’s greatest celebration. The Triduum lasts three days (from Holy Thursday evening until Easter Sunday evening) and each of the three days offers its own unique significance, solemnity and story. While we remember and celebrate in the liturgy, with many traditions and rituals, the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, these days bring me to those actual days and times Jesus was here on Earth sacrificing himself to save us. Through a return to my childhood roots of praying and singing in Latin at the Last Supper, being silent for three hours from noon until 3pm as children on Good Friday and feeling the joy of Easter morning arriving at church in my new Easter dress, bonnet and patent leather shoe, the Triduum carries a great significance in my heart and soul.
Q: If you could choose any celebrity to be your best friend, who would it be?
A: In my broadcast career in Hollywood and New York City I have worked with many celebrities, but never had a need or desire to be best friends with one. Regardless of fame, fortune, or career path, I see celebrities as everyday fallible human beings like me. I would rather be best friends with my “ride or die” forever friends like my sisters.
Q: If you had to enter a talent show, what would be your act?
A: If I had to enter a talent show I would definitely do a comedy act. I love the stage, making people laugh, and leaving people feeling warm and happy on their way home. Plan B is gobbling like a turkey…is that an act?
Q: What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given or the best gift you’ve ever given someone else?
A: Two best gifts I was ever given both came from my dad. When I was a young child my dad let me come up on the roof of our home as he strung the Christmas lights, and from the rooftop I first saw what seemed like a whole world out there that I wanted to go explore. He gave me a vantage point I never would have experienced that the world was so much bigger than me, and he gave me a glimpse of who created the world when he brought me up higher, closer to Heaven. At the end of his life, he gave me the ultimate gift. As I sat by his deathbed, I actually witnessed the exact moment my dad saw Heaven for the first time. He got there and he smiled with his eyes closed saying, “It is beautiful!”. There will never be a greater gift than my dad proving to me that God is there waiting for each of us and Heaven surpasses anything our finite earthly minds can envision.
Q: What advice would you give to someone new in the business?
A: My advice for anyone new to our business is two-fold. 1) Commit to the orthodox training and stick to that script. It will make you more successful faster than anything you think will work better for you. 2) Never ever, ever give up. This work is too important and God has called you to it. Keep answering the call.