Publisher
Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, I enjoyed everything that unique city has to offer, including the much publicized Mardi Gras which is an event all New Orleanians prepare for many months in advance. And, definitely, without a doubt our cuisine rates the finest in the world!
I was one of four children raised by Protestant parents. My father, a convert from Catholicism, was a fully licensed and ordained Baptist minister. He served the Lord until his death at 94 Years old. My mother was a Methodist at the time of their marriage and became a Baptist, thus unifying our family during my childhood. Churchgoing was several times a week without fail, and the sick were personally called upon, with all funerals faithfully attended.
I attended Xavier University, a Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana where I majored in Journalism. I left New Orleans and came to Los Angeles to pursue my writing, becoming an Editor of a fashion trade magazine, The California Girl, where I wrote feature articles, did page layouts, and generally “put the magazine to bed”.
I attended the University of Mexico as well, studying Spanish and Fine Arts. But it was at Xavier University that I learned peace of mind through Catholicism. Having been reared in a Bible reading family and knowing what the Bible signified all I lacked was faith. I had not been baptized, much to my parents’ concern, so my complete conversion came with a Catholic baptism and personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Savior. In the Catholic church I found the peace and tranquility I so feverishly sought.
I later became a professional artist specializing in portraiture. My impressionistic abstracts won popular approval. My art was featured at many So CA art festivals as well as local West Hollywood galleries. The popularity drew the attention of the local Beverly Hills Newspaper which produced a feature story on my artwork. I also painted many portraits of Elvis Presley and Tom Jones for the artists themselves as well as those for the general public.
The residuals from sale of my paintings gave me sufficient funds to toy with another interest; songwriting. I pursued that for a while and came within “shouting distance” to success but the operatic quality of my voice did not lend itself to the then current sound and I refused to hand over my song material to anyone else to record. That phase of my life eventually died a slow and painful death.
I have had the honor to serve as Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist for many years and the joy it brings me cannot be measured. Doing God’s work is a wonderful thing though none of us are, by ourselves, worthy.
I am hoping that this website will give some insight and make other Catholics think. I would appreciate any replies, suggestions, and comments. All articles are written from my personal viewpoint as a Christian.
God’s love always,
Kathy Bernard