Warmest Greetings

To All Who Have Been with The Fruitful Hollow Since the Beginning and Anyone Just Stumbling Upon Our Ministry, the deepest and most affectionate welcome.

My name is CJ and I am humbled to greet you as the new director of The Fruitful Hollow after the remarkable 5 years our ministry has spent under Lauren, our fearless first director.

I would like to take a brief moment to introduce myself and share a little about the journey that led me to writing this. I was born with Turner Syndrome, a medical condition whereby 99% of those affected are born without ovaries and deal with other reproductive complications. In other words, I am completely infertile in a faith world that makes us feel like our worth is so tied up in our fertility, and offers little support for those whose fertility is less than ideal. Even with family and friends around, I felt so isolated as I navigated this journey through my teenage years and into young adulthood. Every time I liked or dated someone, especially someone who was also a practicing Catholic, my heart would sink to the very depths of my soul as I realized that at some point, I would have to let him know we would not be able to have biological children. It caused so much grief and anxiety in my relationship with God that I barely felt like I could go to Church at times. I spent years of spiritual and physical pain as I navigated what God was calling me to do, and it felt like no one could understand my tears. It broke me day and night for years, stuck in an endless cycle of grief. 

Enter The Fruitful Hollow. Stumbling upon their mentorship ministry, Sisters of Hannah (which I highly recommend that those looking to mentor or be mentored check out), I began to realize, through talking with people in the community and reading the blog posts, that I wasn’t alone, and that I wanted to help others realize there was a space for them too. After a couple years of writing for the blog, I was offered a position as the secretary for The Fruitful Hollow and as a mentor for Sisters of Hannah, and I served in those roles for a couple years. I have even gotten to meet some of the other TFH staff in person (including in London) over the past few years. The women in the ministry have become some of my nearest and dearest friends, and I thank God for them every day.

Meanwhile, I met the absolute love of my life, who I am going to marry at the end of this year, and I know I would not be as steady in my relationship, especially during the early days, if it wasn’t for the support of The Fruitful Hollow. I pray that all of you who are called to married life find a person who is supportive of me as Andrew, the man who knows to pick me up ice cream or just hold me when I cry as much as he can make me laugh when we watch shows or go on hikes or walks through museums around our city. He reminds me every day that every one of us is deserving of the beautiful plan Love has for us, even if we feel unworthy, and may you have those reminders every day. 

I was later offered the position of director when Lauren stepped down after her run, and I hope I can be half the director she was. Still, for as solemn as I feel, I am also extremely excited to see where this ministry is being called into this next season. 

The theme for 2026 will be “celebration”, which I am extremely excited about seeing play out throughout this year! Coming off the heels of Advent and Christmas, I think this will be a good reminder of seeing even the tiniest flicker of light and hope in the darkness of infertility and other struggles. With a cross that can be so heavy, it can be so hard to see the triumph in both the small things (a routine medical appointment going well) and the big (a job promotion or getting married), and we at The Fruitful Hollow want to help you get into the habit of finding ways to acknowledge your wins and milestones while everything else seems heavy. We need the duality of both the joys and the sorrows, and we are looking forward to helping you find ways to remember the joys in your life, and to sitting with you when all you feel is desolation. 

One final thing about me: the two things I love more than anything in the world are reading with a good cup of tea, and musicals. And my favorite quote of all time comes from the book and movie Les Miserables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Please know that I am here for each of you on your journey going forward, that I see the face of God in you so clearly. Pray for me as I start this year as the new director, and know that I am praying for you. 

Slàinte mhòr agus a h-uile beannachd duibh,

CJ