Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

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.

Ask for What You Need


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Whatever is on your heart today, whether it seems insurmountable or insignificant, whether it’s for you or for someone you love, you can bring it to Jesus — directly or through his mother.

Best By Today


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

This weekend we started going through our pantry. The plan was to find the items we weren’t eating and donate them to the food pantry at church. What we discovered is that we have plenty of soy sauce, Greek dressing, and granola. We also have an astonishing amount of expired food. Some packages expired not […]

5 Reasons to Love St. Elizabeth Ann Seton


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

As a child growing up in Baltimore, I remember learning about Mother Seton. We were especially proud of this new saint, who had a connection to our hometown. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was not only the first American-born saint, but she had spent so much of her life in Maryland. Sometimes on a warm summer […]

Gold pants


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church

As we begin a new year and turn the page on the calendar, we may be wondering what lies ahead. We aren’t likely to discover – or need – a pair of gold pants, but maybe we will need something unusual for the journey before us. Whatever that might be, we can trust that God will prepare us – or has already.

Living with Hope (and Butter on the Counter)


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

I love making cookies, especially at Christmastime. But I can’t always find the time to bake. Sometimes in the morning as I look ahead at the day, I think maybe, just maybe, I’ll have time to make cookies today. So, I pull some butter out of the fridge and leave it to soften on the […]

Up on the Housetop


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Commentary, Open Window

I must have been about 5 or 6 that Christmas Eve. My grandmother was spending the night so she could wake up with all of us on Christmas morning. To make sure that Grandma had a bed, my oldest sister Maureen and I slept on the third floor of our Rodgers Forge townhouse. We were […]

Spending Advent with St. Joseph


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Commentary, Open Window

As a woman and mother, I sometimes feel like I should feel close to Mary during Advent. And I do. But I often find myself looking more to St. Joseph. In so many ways, his story is similar to our stories. He’s thrust into a situation he couldn’t have anticipated. He considers backing out and […]

An Advent Invitation


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Sometimes we choose our journeys, and sometimes they choose us. Sometimes you know the destination but you’re not quite sure how you’ll get there. Sometimes you blink and suddenly discover you’re almost at your destination. Sometimes journeys are smooth, and sometimes they’re painful. But they all lead somewhere—and often to exactly where we ought to […]