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Rita Buettner

Rita Buettner is a wife, working mother and author of the Catholic Review's Open Window blog. She and her husband adopted their two sons from China, and Rita often writes about topics concerning adoption, family and faith.

Rita also writes The Domestic Church, a featured column in the Catholic Review. Her writing has been honored by the Catholic Press Association, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association and the Associated Church Press.

The four astronauts hug after returning from their trip on Artemis II

Fly Me to the Moon (or Fly Someone Else and Let Me Watch)

April 12, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

This type of encounter helps us see the beauty and the power and the imagination behind God’s creation.

White statue of Jesus stands in a garden outside a church

The Little Girl at the Cross: Our Faith Is Always New

April 5, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Easter, Open Window

When it was her turn, she walked right up to the cross, carefully leaned down very low, and gave the dark wood a kiss. Then she bounced away.

Three yellow daffodils stand tall on a green background

An Easter Reflection: Winning with Joy

April 5, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Easter, Open Window

The Easter season is a time for rejoicing—not just for ourselves, but in a way that invites those around us to join in the celebration.

The slow work 

March 30, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church

As much as we want to keep trying to fix a problem, maybe this is the time to hand it over to God. We can place whatever is troubling us into his hands, trusting that he will walk with us, moving mountains we cannot move and preparing us for the next step on our journey.  

It’s Holy Week and You’re Right on Time

March 29, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Easter, Lent, Open Window

Whether you have been preparing since Ash Wednesday or are just deciding that you want to shift into a new mode now, the moment is yours.

Church steeple against a blue sky with the shining sun

What I have done and what I have failed to do

March 23, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

I’m on a quest to attend 226 Masses during 2026. So, back at the end of January, I decided to try to go to Mass every day of February. February is the shortest month, so I thought maybe I would have a chance at hitting that goal. But going every day is a real challenge […]

Being here 

March 18, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Commentary, Lent, The Domestic Church

During Lent, God offers us a special invitation to recognize his presence in our lives. We can add prayer time or take on more works of charity or give in numerous ways. And maybe we can simply prioritize time with God, listening to him and looking for his fingerprints on our lives. 

A purple cloth covers an altar against a white wall in the front of a room

A Sacred Transformation (or a visit to a hospital chapel)

March 15, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window

I was looking around, wondering whether the Mass would be offered in a different space, when a man passed me pushing a rolling cart.

White mug of coffee on a table in a restaurant

More than a Cup of Coffee (and accepting Lenten interruptions)

March 7, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window

As we were walking, I saw a man who looked like he was on his way to work. He was carrying a paper coffee cup—a beacon to me on my hunt for coffee.

A tower of diapers with baby toys tied on and a rubber duck on top

That Takes the Diaper Cake

February 28, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

When a colleague reached out to invite me to a baby shower, I started thinking about whether I had time to make a diaper cake.

A path stretches ahead between trees toward a white cross

Today is a good day to begin again

February 22, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window

Lent isn’t about winning. It’s about taking small steps that we hope lead to big ones. If we’re doing this right, Lent will not be easy. But we are trying.

Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream on a paper plate

An Amelia Bedelia moment and setting Lenten goals

February 15, 2026
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window

So, dinner was a little bumpy. But then my sister pulled out a pan of fresh apple crisp—still warm from the oven—for dessert.

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