Fall is here and that means it's time for October's interview for the "Why I Love Being Catholic" series. This month, I'm happy to bring you Leslie from Knoxville, Tennessee who runs the website "Life in Every Limb." I got acquainted with Leslie on social media probably about three years ago and I've always enjoyed her thoughtful blogs and posts and her willingness to talk about most topics. She always brings a lot of wisdom and insight when she chooses to talk about a subject and she's definitely one that makes me pause and think. I really like that about her. Leslie is a wife, mother to five children, she's homeschooled, she's written for a Catholic newspaper, she edits, so, basically, she's a busy lady with a lot of talents. I'll link up all of Leslie's social media handles at the bottom so you can be sure to follow her. She has some great answers in this interview, so please enjoy!

1. Are you a cradle Catholic or a convert? If a convert, where did you convert from?

I am a cradle Catholic, baptized when I was a couple of weeks old at the same parish my family and I belong to—Immaculate Conception in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.  Although I went through a period of intermittent attendance at Mass in my early twenties, I’ve never even come close to falling away from the Church.

2. Who is your favorite saint and why?

I absolutely love St. Peter.  He is so human and real and relatable.  He makes so many mistakes. Sometimes I find myself almost laughing aloud at some of the things he says in the Gospels.  Yet he was the one Jesus chose to lead His Church. His faith was strong and that made up for his other flaws. I like knowing that we don’t have to be perfect to do great things for God.

3. What has been your favorite Catholic place that you’ve visited? Where do you hope to visit?

My grandmother took me on a tour of France when I was 17 and we went to Lourdes.  It was an amazing experience. I will never forget the candlelight procession and thousands of voices raised in song.  I hope someday to visit Vatican City. In the meantime, I make a point of visiting cathedrals when we travel, when possible.

4. What is a misconception that you hear frequently about the Catholic Church? What’s the truth of it?

I live in the Bible Belt, and although there are more now, when I was growing up about 2% of the population was Catholic.  Most of my family members are Protestant too—Catholicism has been a persistent but slender thread in our family. So I have heard some doozies. My daughter still encounters people at school who think we worship Mary, not to mention statues.  A misconception I deal with frequently is that Catholics are obliged to vote for specific candidates in elections.  That’s probably a little more than we want to get into here. I’ve written quite a lot about this on my blog, including a post called Catholic Voting 101: A Guide for the Confused.

5. Besides the Eucharist, what is your favorite part of the Mass?

The Gloria.  I love to sing.  And I feel a great sense of peace and belonging while singing it.

6. Why do you love being Catholic?

That’s such a hard question because being Catholic is so much a part of my identity that I cannot even imagine anything different.  I love everything about being Catholic! Today I will say that I love being connected to so many other Catholics through the ages and across the globe.  I love the Church’s dedication to social justice. And I love the rich intellectual tradition and how there really is an answer to everything to be found in Catholicism.