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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.

Putting away Christmas

January 17, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

I’m never eager to see Christmas end.

We don’t talk about COVID

January 15, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary

We don’t talk about COVID. No, no, no. I’m so tired of hearing about positivity rates and hospitalization rates and vaccination rates and… What’s that? You know where we can find home tests? What time does the shipment come in? And they put them right out on the shelves? Wow! Hang on, I need to […]

A lunchtime treat, what I cooked this week, and an egg surprise (7 Quick Takes)

January 15, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Does anyone else feel that January is a very long month? But the days are getting a little brighter every day!

My mascot for the pandemic

January 12, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

How does the godwit know where to go? How does it fly so far without stopping to eat or rest?

Snow fun, brownies, a new washer, and a sequined sweater (7 Quick Takes)

January 10, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

We enjoyed two beautiful snowfalls last week, a bit of a dusting and a fun few inches for play.

A simple greeting can be a powerful connector

January 7, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Commentary, Feature, The Domestic Church

We never know where a simple greeting or a smile might lead or how that might have an impact on someone else.

Let’s hold onto Christmas

January 5, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

As the decorations disappear from our neighbors’ homes, we’re still holding onto Christmas in our house.

A New Year, more Christmas, and a surprise visitor (7 Quick Takes)

January 1, 2022
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Christmas, Commentary, Open Window

~1~ Happy New Year! I have never had much success with resolutions, but I do love setting the tone for the year. I let Jen Fulwiler’s Word of the Year generator choose a word for me—Hospitality—and her Saint of the Year generator pick a saint for me—St. Margaret of Antioch. Hospitality seems to bring its […]

Farewell to 2021. Thanks for all the (sort of) fun.

December 29, 2021
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

A poetic tribute to 2021

The excitement of each new day

December 28, 2021
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window, Uncategorized

As soon as the first daylight creeps into their cages, the finches are ready to start the day—and they think I should start mine, too.

A partridge in a pear tree and other Christmas fun (7 Quick Takes)

December 26, 2021
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Blog, Christmas, Commentary, Open Window

Merry Christmas! Here are a few highlights of our Christmas celebration so far.

A Child is born to us

December 24, 2021
By Rita Buettner
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Advent, Blog, Christmas, Commentary, Open Window

There is nothing like the happy news of a brand-new baby.

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