Despite the fact that I renounced Christianity years ago, this story made me slightly proud that my 1-year-old self was doused with holy water (according to my older family, I resisted the rituals of the church back then as well) at a little church in a Chicago suburb called Saint Mary’s.

I say that after reading about the amazing life and work of Mother Mary Lange. For Harriet tells us:

“Lange was born Elizabeth Clarisse Lange circa 1784 in Cuba. In the early 1800’s, Lange moved to Baltimore, Maryland, a safe haven for Catholics, to be with fellow French-Speaking Catholic Refugees. Upon moving to the United States, Lange recognized the need of education among refugee children of color, and on ...