About You:
Living Faith: Describe your vocation in life.
Sr. Julia Walsh, F.P.S.A.: I am a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration.
LF: Offer a new general bio here…
Sr. JW: I’m a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and part of her congregation’s formation team that serves women who are discerning their vocation. Along with another Franciscan sister, I co-founded The Fireplace, an intentional community and house of hospitality on Chicago’s South Side that offers spiritual support to seekers, artists and activists. I have a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Catholic Theological Union and am a spiritual director and secondary teacher. As a creative writer, educator, retreat presenter and speaker, I’m passionate about exploring the intersection of creativity, spirituality, activism and community life. As a regularly published spiritual writer, my work can be found in publications such as America, Living Faith Catholic Devotional, National Catholic Reporter, Chicago Sun Times, Living City and St. Anthony Messenger. I host the Messy Jesus Business blog and podcast. My spiritual memoir For Love of the Broken Body (Monkfish) published in April 2024.
LF: Do you reach out to readers online via a website or social media?
Sr. JW: MessyJesusBusiness.com, WordPress, Substack, FSPA.org.
LF: Share a little about your ministry or daily work. (A day in the life looks like…?)
Sr. JW: Some days, I take the bus to the library that’s in downtown Chicago, and then write before I go to a midday Mass, work for a few more hours and then ride the bus back to the Fireplace Community, where I join community and guests for an evening of communal dinner and prayer. Other days, I work from home or in the F.S.P.A. Discernment Office and meet with women who are discerning their vocation or join meetings with other members of my Franciscan Community on Zoom. Every day is different and feels like an adventure!
LF: How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
Sr. JW: I’ve been writing since childhood, but my first experience with writing for publication was writing newspaper columns during college. Then, years later in 2010, I started Messy Jesus Business, which gradually expanded into a writing and speaking ministry.
LF: What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Sr. JW: Honestly, as full as my ministry is, the toughest part is simply carving out the time to focus on the work. Then, once I finally start writing, the challenge is to get out of the way of what God wants to do.
LF: How many books have you written, and which is your favorite? If you haven’t written a book, name a favorite that you’ve enjoyed.
Sr. JW: My first book, For Love of the Broken Body: A Spiritual Memoir, was published in April 2024! I am also working on my 2nd book, which will be a daily devotional for 2026 for Loyola Press.
LF: Where do you live today, and is that different from where you grew up?
Sr. JW: I now split my time between two cities of different sizes: La Crosse, Wisconsin (where the motherhouse of my religious community, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, is located) and Chicago, Illinois, where I am part of the Fireplace Community. Compared to the farm within the one county in Iowa where there were no stoplights (only stop signs), both cities are a long way from where I grew up.
LF: Three words your best friend would use to describe you.
Sr. JW: Busy, creative, wild.
LF: One additional thing you would want a Living Faith reader to know about you that we haven’t covered above. (A hobby, something silly or fun, an accomplishment, or an interesting fact?)
Sr. JW: I didn’t attend a Catholic school until I was a junior in college and didn’t know any nuns or sisters until I left my hometown. Even so, my high school classmates at the little public school I attended predicted that I would become a nun!
About Faith:
LF: When did you first know that God loved you?
Sr. JW: My earliest memories are related to knowing God’s love, so I think it could be accurate to say that I’ve always known this.
LF: Describe a prayer practice that is meaningful to you.
Sr. JW: I love singing hymns alone or with others.
LF: What’s something you’ve learned from the Bible or from the Mass or the Sacraments that has always stayed with you?
Sr. JW: Jesus wants us all to be one. (John 17:20-21)
LF: What excites you about being a Catholic?
Sr. JW: The universality of who we are: I love the unity in our diversity and the joy of and being at home when I attend Mass in other cultures.
About the Bible:
LF: Do you have a favorite Bible verse?
Sr. JW: Honestly, I dislike picking out favorites, as I don’t want to cling to any verse or Scripture story more than another. Yet, for my Final Vows liturgy, the Gospel included Luke 12:49: “I have come to set the world on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Jesus’ passion for the Kingdom is important.
LF: Do you have a favorite Gospel? If so, which one? Elaborate if you wish.
Sr. JW: No, they each speak to me in different ways and for different reasons.
LF: If you could spend a day with a person (besides Jesus) mentioned in the Bible, whom would you choose?
Sr. JW: Probably Simon Peter. I always related to his spunk and foolishness. I think we could be good friends.
About Living Faith:
LF: How long have you been writing for Living Faith?
Sr. JW: Since 2014, I think.
LF: Do you ever get to meet your Living Faith readers? What do you talk about?
Sr. JW: Yes, every now and then, people tell me that they appreciate my writing in Living Faith (and Living with Christ). When I hear this, I thank them for reading what I write and praying with me.
LF: What is one thing you love about Living Faith?
Sr. JW: How [Living Faith‘s] been part of my life for a long time. When I was a child, we prayed with Living Faith as a family and then when I was in college, I prayed with Living Faith in my dorm room. I remember thinking that it would be a joy to write for it one day, and then when I was invited to be a contributor, it felt as if all my writing dreams had come true!
*The interview was edited for clarity and conformity to style. No meaning was altered in the process.
