Catholic charity Archives - The Simple Catholic

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Joanna Loop via phone call on May 24th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

What inspired you to begin writing Catholic books for children?

To have a resource for mothers teaching their children about the faith. Because it is really difficult to find this information about the faith and help them fall in love with the faith.

It started as a desire to help build the domestic church. It is our job as Catholic parents to help teach our kids about the faith.

My books are tools to help teach the faith. There’s a lot of moms who attended Catholic school but didn’t realize there’s so much more to it. We have to tell our children from birth about Jesus.

I realized how learning the faith is simple. So much of Scripture feels like that I have known my whole life because it was internal to me or because God is speaking to you. There’s no religion out there that is so straight-forward.

We have the ABC book to get that early exposure and the numbers book was a fun way to connect Scripture and Tradition. For example, there’s Seven Sorrows of Mary and there’s Eight people in Noah’s Ark (not everyone knows about this).

The shapes and colors books are my favorite. They are tailored to the youngest office. When my son is tracing the circle he can learn the shape of the Eucharist. It’s been a lot of fun putting these books together.

The most mature book I wrote was on the Marian Apparitions for Kids. All the proceeds from this book go to help the Our Lady of Guadalupe Home in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

The books are available at the Sanctuary Gifts Store in Kingsville, Ontario, The Mustard Seed in London, Ontario, and the Peaceful Dove, also in London, Ontario. Please support these local brick and mortar stores! They are doing so much for our Christian community.

I also travel to different Catholic events to sell the books in person.

More information about the Our Lady of Guadalupe Home:

Our Lady of Guadalupe Home is a registered Catholic charity in Windsor, Ontario, that offers a loving, faith-filled residence for pregnant women and new mothers in crisis. Inspired by the Gospel and guided by Divine Providence, this home provides shelter, food, and around-the-clock care to women who have nowhere else to go. Mothers of any background—regardless of race or religion—are welcomed with compassion and dignity.

The home is unique in offering 24/7 paid staff support, providing stability and hope to women during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. They offer assistance for up to a year and rely entirely on donations and the grace of God to continue their mission.

As a way to help support this life-saving work, I wrote a children’s book called My First Catholic Marian Apparitions. It’s a beautiful introduction to Our Blessed Mother’s appearances throughout history and is available on Amazon Prime.

* All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated directly to Our Lady of Guadalupe Home in perpetuity.

This is a simple and meaningful way to share the Catholic faith with children while also helping vulnerable women and babies in need.

Thank you for sharing about the Our Lady of Guadalupe Home! It’s a wonderful ministry.🙂 How does your own faith and family life influence your storytelling?

I haven’t really thought about that before. I come from that teaching background (my parents and sister were teachers) so books were a very important part of my children. We had a library in my house. I wanted to have something similar for my kids. In the Marian Apparitions book I wrote it in a way where I told the story like I was talking to my one and two year old son.

What’s been the most meaningful response you’ve received from a reader or parent?

Sometimes this happens a lot actually, parents and grandparents are so excited about my project that they are so joyful. They become champions of my project and encourage me. It’s been really meaningful. The parents want to help get their children closer to the Church.

Natalia from The Peaceful and Jackie specifically have been so helpful to me. I reached out to them and they were immediately supportive of my project.

Your books cover everything from Marian apparitions to Mass symbols—how do you choose which topics to explore?

Very simply, it was about babies. I wanted to make baby books that were approachable for all mothers. I didn’t want to make the books too intimidating. There’s lots of feeling that we carry that we aren’t ready to study certain holy topics. So I figured I would start with more universal things like ABCs and Colors that there’s no requirements for holiness.

For some reasons, these religious topics come with pressure and a feeling of insignificance.

What do you see as the biggest challenge and opportunity in catechizing young children today?

This is kind of complicated. I see a lot of parents trying to catechize their kids and it’s confusing because we live in a secular world. I was there before, and there’s a lot of external pressure to work. So there’s very little time to spend time with your family. There’s a challenge with parents who don’t feel like they have the time and want to rest/relax.

I realized I need to have my priorities. Refocusing our schedule so it involved sacrifices like working from home so I could spend more time with my children and more time for faith events. The importance of being with grandparents and aunts and uncles. To sum up I feel like the biggest challenge is building up the domestic church.

Can you walk us through your creative process—from idea to finished book?

Once I got the idea I started on the book. I cannot stop until it’s 100% done. For a few days there I was telling my kids that I needed to finish the book. So on these occasions my kids found themselves in their independence. It took me about 3 weeks to get the books done from start to finish.

I self-published and I talked to a friend who also self-published.

What advice would you give to other Catholic creatives who feel called to evangelize through storytelling?

I think about the early Church Fathers and how they wrote letters to each other. They always addressed/started the letters with love. Speak from your heart. While the New Testament is the “end of the Bible” it doesn’t mean that the Bible is done.

Understand your own testimony and what drew you into Jesus. You don’t have to make it complicated. Once you know your story and testimony, who knows where this journey will take you.

My journey wasn’t complicated, I just shared my love of Jesus. Don’t be afraid to start.

Where can my readers find more of your work?

Links to My First Catholic Books series:

www.amazon.com/author/joannaloop

www.wespeakup.ca

Ways You Can Help

Pray for the home:
“Thy will be done: nothing more; nothing less!”

Buy the book:
Search My First Catholic Marian Apparitions on Amazon Prime. It makes a beautiful gift for First Communion, baptism, or family prayer time.

Donate or volunteer:
Visit www.ologhome.com to make a donation, sign up to volunteer, or learn more.

Mail a donation:
Make cheques payable to:
Our Lady of Guadalupe Non-Profit Home of Windsor
591 Alexander St.
Windsor, ON N8X 3B8

For tax receipts and monthly donation info, visit their CanadaHelps page.

Together, we can be the hands and feet of Christ to women in crisis. Thank you for your generosity and prayers!

About Joanna:

Joanna Loop is a passionate author and educator from Ontario, Canada, on a mission to share the ancient traditions of the Catholic faith with young readers. With a heart for storytelling and a love for teaching, Joanna has written over five titles devoted to sharing the Catholic faith with the world’s littlest friends. Her books, including the beloved “My First Catholic Books” series, bring the spirit and symbols of the Mass and the stories of Christ into the comfort of homes around the world.

Drawing inspiration from her faith and family, Joanna creates stories that nurture children’s hearts and minds. Her works, such as “My First Catholic: Marian Apparitions” and “My First Catholic: Shapes”, invite young readers to explore Catholic traditions, learn about the saints, and grow in their relationship with God.

When she isn’t writing, Joanna enjoys spending time with her family, engaging in parish life, and exploring new ways to bring the love of Christ to young hearts.

Thank you for sharing!

This post was sponsored by a generous lay member of the Diocese of Barbados. COVID19 has hit this Catholic diocese particularly strong and many parishioners are in need of assistance.

Consider helping out by visiting God Squad T-Shirts to purchase a Catholic t-shirt. 100% of all proceeds will be used to buy food for the poor.

Over the centuries, humans have endured unimaginable trials. Volcanoes, hurricanes, droughts, famines, floods, and World Wars. The author of Ecclesiastes was right in saying, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.”

Our current situation with the COVID19 pandemic may seem unique. While the majority of people living haven’t experienced an event of this magnitude in their lifetime, largescale illnesses have spread the globe before. The virus has not only affected individual’s physical health but also spiritual, emotional, mental, and economic health.

The Catholic Church has been a bastion of hope during these times in the past. Now is the time for the Church to provide aid again. More than a building or group of bishops, the Church is primarily a community founded on love and obedience to God. According to 1 Peter 2:7-8, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone.”

The primary commandment is to love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. How precisely do you love your neighbor in 2020?

Corporeal Works of Mercy

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2447,

The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.

Jesus specifically detailed these works of mercy in Matthew 25: 35-46. Preceding the passage about the Judgment of Nations are the Parable of the Ten Virgins and the Talents. The first parable teaches about the importance of being prepared spiritually because we don’t know the time when our death arrives. In the second parable, Jesus talks about how our natural talents should be used for the common good. If we share our talents (time and treasure) to help others in need we will receive countless graces.

Dioceses throughout the world face economic hardship due to the lockdowns. Our brothers and sisters in faith suffer hunger and financial strain. It can be difficult to help others in need especially if you and your family are currently going through similar pressures. Below I will examine a couple examples of saintly witnesses who cared for the poor despite suffering their own crosses.

Saint Gemma Galgani

Gemma Galgani is the patron saint of the poor and unemployed. She was only 8 years old when her mother died. Gemma’s father encountered financial strain shortly after. He was always a good steward with his wealth, but sickness and the death of his wife led to creditors seizing his property. Succumbing to cancer of the throat, Gemma’s father passed away when she was 19 year old.

Gemma orphaned lived in destitution and the churches had to take up collections for her and her siblings to eat. The saint wrote, “I am happy in every way that Jesus wills, and if Jesus wants the sacrifice of my life, I give it to Him at once. If He wants anything else, I am ready. One thing alone is enough for me; to be his victim, in order to atone for my innumerable sins, and if possible, for those of the whole world” How incredible is her faith? Certainly her story resonates with us during this year of endless trials.

Saint Charles Borromeo

Another saint who lived through an impoverished time was Charles Borromeo. As bishop of Milan, he is most famous for organizing the last session of the Council of Trent. The patron saint of catechists also promoted reform in the Catholic Church. At first his life may seem completely different from Gemma— a bishop versus an orphan.

Charles exhibited the same care for the poor as Gemma. He lived through the Bubonic plague (yes the 16th century was crazy!). Milan endured famine and eventually outbreak of the plague. Despite the secular leaders fleeing the city in fear, Charles remained to care for the people. He sought to feed 60,000 to 70,000 people daily and used all his funds feeding the hungry that he eventually went into debt.

The Italian bishop lived out the corporeal works of mercy. He sought to comfort the afflicted and care for the poor and sick. Saint Charles is an outstanding model for our current situation.

Be Christ to Others

Saints Gemma and Charles listened to the God’s will in the face of their own suffering. Loving our neighbors is not always easy. But carrying our crosses never is easy. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

Sadly, I have seen people remain apathetic to others’ suffering. “I doesn’t affect me. I don’t know them so why should I care.” God created humans to live communally. We are to care for the less fortunate. Our life can turn around quickly. Those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic know truth well.

Live out the corporeal works of mercy. Become Christ to everyone you meet. Donate to the poor individually or to charities. You may not be able to help out financially at this time. Share your time or talents with your neighbors. Pray for the conversion of souls and end of the pandemic.

Help our Catholic brothers and sisters in the Caribbean by visiting God Squad T-Shirts to purchase a Catholic t-shirt. 100% of all proceeds will be used to buy food for the poor.

If you are not able to donate at this time please share this post with your Catholic family and friends.

May God bless you and your generosity!