Founder's Story
I grew up a cradle Catholic in a family of four in the United States. We did all the right things; we went to Mass every Sunday, prayed before meals, and lived a Catholic life, but it was not until my high school years that my faith truly became my own.
As I grew closer to Christ, I became more involved in my local parish and spent more time in prayer and adoration. During one Holy Hour, I found myself asking God what He wanted me to do with my life. As I prayed, I felt Him place one clear idea on my heart: start a ministry. At first, I laughed. I had no idea what that would even look like.
The idea became clearer the following summer as my family traveled around the United States. We visited Catholic churches wherever we went, and something finally clicked. I had always been told that the Catholic Church was universal, but seeing it firsthand was different. No matter where we were, the Mass was the same. The Eucharist was the same. The faith was the same. There was something incredibly beautiful about knowing that Catholics around the world are the same.
Around that same time, a Catholic friend living in Spain would share photos of the Mass and adoration. Although she lived thousands of miles away, she was living the same faith I was. It reminded me that the Church truly is one Body of Christ, united across languages, cultures, and continents.
As I continued growing in my faith, I also noticed something else. My parents would often say, “I wish I had learned that growing up,” or, “I never knew that.” Even simple but beautiful parts of our faith, like the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, were things they had not encountered until much later in life. I realized I had experienced the same thing. I wanted to learn more incredible teachings, prayers, and stories, but they were all scattered across countless websites, videos, and books. I wanted there to be one place where people could confidently learn about the Catholic faith without having to piece everything together themselves.
That vision became Universal Catholic.
I chose the name because it reflects the heart of the mission: to celebrate the universality of the Catholic Church and to help people see that no matter where they live, they are part of one worldwide family of faith. My prayer is that Universal Catholic will help people encounter the beauty, love, and truth of the Catholic faith through faithful education, inspiring testimonies, and authentic Catholic media, and remind them that they are never alone in their journey toward Christ.
~Emily S