Little did I imagine that what looked like the end of a journey—earning an MPS through LIMEX—would actually turn out to be only the beginning of a still different, new journey. I already had a master’s degree in another discipline and wasn’t sure why I was undertaking yet another course of study.

Still, I wanted to accompany my husband Greg while he pursued an MPS as part of his diaconal formation, and we read, talked, and wrote together throughout the program. Now Greg is ordained—and I’ve gone from completing my MPS to being a doctoral student in preaching at the Aquinas Institute in St. Louis, Missouri. I’m delighted to report that my education is bearing even more fruit, both as a homiletics teacher for the Diocese of Monterey, California, and within my own life as a Christian attempting to discern—and to live—God’s call.

The reading materials from Loyola, the conversations with my LIMEX learning group (and the ongoing relationships that have grown out of that group), and the work that challenged my mind and nourished my heart has led to a not-yet-fully-revealed path of intellectual and spiritual formation, encouraging and challenging me to be the face of Christ in a world that has trouble recognizing him.