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.

A mistake that turned out just fine

November 6, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

This pot of slops wasn’t looking very exciting, so I pulled a packet of onion soup mix out of the pantry. Onion soup should be able to jazz almost anything up.

Leftover Halloween treats, autumn trees, limericks, and more (7 Quick Takes)

November 2, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

How was your Halloween? Ours was spooky and fun.

Heaven is not so far away

November 1, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church

As Catholic Christians, we know that we never really lose anyone we love. We might just be physically separated for a while.

This Halloween even the soup is scary

October 30, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

The pumpkins are carved. The costumes are ready. The decorations are up. Even the chicken noodle soup is disguised as a ghost.

Pokemon tournaments, not winning $1 billion, what we had for dinner this week, and more (7 Quick Takes)

October 25, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

There was a time where I was not proficient in Pokemon. I’m still not an expert, but I can at least speak the language.

What would you do with $1 billion?

October 22, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

We’re all thinking about it, right? What exactly would we do if we were to win more than $1 billion in the Mega Millions jackpot?

An Amelia Bedelia move, rats, a trip to the salad bar, and a few conference leftovers (7 Quick Takes)

October 19, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

I ran out of ideas for dinner by the end of the week, so I cooked a little of everything that was left in the fridge. It didn’t look like much of a spread on the table.

Beauty in word and art and in a Catholic women’s conference

October 16, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

A group of 28 women came together for Saturday for “Beauty in Word & Art: Catholic Women Writers, Artists & Social Media Voices in the New Evangelization” at the Shrine. The day was an absolute gift.

Humility cometh after a fall

October 15, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church

The journey toward greater humility might not be one that comes easily or without significant challenge. It might not even be one I want to pursue. But it is necessary if I’m going to grow in my relationship with Christ.

Apple picking, scarecrow making, apple pie, two birthdays at once, and a quick day trip (7 Quick Takes)

October 12, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

When you aren’t playing soccer during the fall, you have these wide open weekends to fill—or at least I thought that would be the case. So my husband and I were determined we would go apple picking this fall.

A season of loss and love

October 10, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

I used to love autumn, and I still do. But when the leaves begin to change, and the evenings and mornings are dimmer, there are moments when the weight of the season hits me.Even with all the beauty and life and celebration of this time of year, autumn is also a season of loss—especially in […]

Making memories on a long weekend, ice skating at the beach, boating, painted screens, and more (7 Quick Takes)

October 6, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

My husband wasn’t able to join us for our beach vacation with my family this summer, so we promised our sons a long weekend in Ocean City, Md., this fall.