Catholic Mom Writers Guide

Use Microsoft Teams to submit your article, then email editor@catholicmom.com to indicate that you've added your article to your folder.

You can use the Teams link sent to you by email to open Teams in your browser. Look for the FILES section, then find the file with your name on it. Upload your article, and if you have original photos, upload those as well. You must email to indicate that your article is in the folder; we will not check folders without that notification.

Articles must be submitted in a Word (or compatible) document, not in the body of the email. Please include your name in the document title.

Links to photos (Canva or Wikimedia Commons) and article excerpts should be included in the document rather than the body of your email.

If you do not have access to Microsoft Word, you can still save articles in that format.

• How to save Pages docs in Word format
• How to save Google docs in Word format

You can also create a new Word document right in your Microsoft Teams folder. Open the folder, use the +New button, and choose the Word document option.

Keeping in mind that many of our readers are very busy moms with small children, often reading on their mobile phones, we request that you aim for a length around 800 words. Of course, some latitude is given when subject matter requires it.

TITLES: To keep titles on one line, they should be 44 characters max. This includes spaces and punctuation marks. Titles display best if they are only one line long. Readers will find your article better if your titles are meaningful rather than clever.

EXCERPTS: A summary of your article. These appear in our RSS feed as well as on the home page and at the top of each article. Excerpts max out at 140 characters, and need to include your full name. 

Here are a few sample excerpts from articles:

• When Rose Folsom learned the real reason gossip is bad, she found three ways that helped her stop it.

• Elaine Sinnott shares how Mary Undoer of Knots unraveled the biggest knot in her marriage.

• Christina Mayeux reflects on how we can offer up our sufferings to assist the Holy Souls in Purgatory during the month of November.

HEADINGS: Include at least two headings within your article. This serves two purposes: it helps to break up long blocks of text AND helps search engines find information about your article that will allow them to direct readers there.

Every article must, at the very least, contain one photo we can use for the Featured Image. 

However, because we can no longer use images from public-domain image aggregation sites, we are not requiring our authors to submit images to accompany their articles. If you do wish to provide original images, please keep the following information in mind.

Since we recommend that you keep your written articles to about 1,000 words in length (which is optimal for our readers, most of whom are viewing CatholicMom.com on mobile devices), you’ll want to supplement your words with the best images possible. 

• More than one. Of course, we need a featured image for every post, but it’s good to have at least two images inside the article as well. That can include the featured image in a different shape. Images help to break up long runs of text. 
• Right size. Featured images MUST measure 1024x512. Also, we can scale down but not up, so please make sure other images are 1080 wide or greater. If you’re sending your own photos, it’s best to send the source photo in a nice big size and let us take care of it from there. 
• Right shape. Our featured image size, 1024x512, is twice as wide as it is tall. So if you’re sending a tall photo of a statue of Mary, we’re not going to be able to show the whole statue as the featured image – but we can use it elsewhere in the article. 
• Instagram-friendly. To help us share your work on Instagram, images inside articles should measure 1080x1350 — larger images are fine, as we can crop them to those preferred dimensions. 
• Meaningful. Images are content. Just as you wouldn’t throw a random paragraph about some completely different topic into your article, don’t send us a picture simply because it looks pretty. It should have some relation to your article’s topic or theme. 
• Not too dark (most of the time). We like to have a bright and fresh look. 
• Not too busy (for the featured image). Pictures with a lot going on, especially in the bottom third of the image where the title and byline will sit, aren’t the best option. Save pictures like that for inside your articles. 
• Image credit required. If you include original images, please add a note in your article doc with image credit information. (Saying "I took these photos" is good enough for me if you're the one who took the photos. Otherwise, I'll need the name of the photographer and it is up to you to request permission to use them - verbal permission is fine.)

Featured images must measure 1024x512 pixels. Other images should measure at least 1080 pixels wide (height may vary). If you’re only sending one image, keep in mind that our featured image is short and wide. Here’s an example of the featured image for the podcast, in the correct size, so you can envision the dimensions. You can start out with a tall image, but it will need to be something we can crop that will still make sense after cropping.

We will also not use any extreme close-ups of faces (or most other body parts, with the exception of hands) as the featured image.

Featured images should not include text, or text overlays. The title and article summary and byline will sit on top of any text in the bottom half of the picture.

The best way to know what kind of images we’re looking for is to look at the website. Click through to the articles. See how different images are used, different sizes in different places.

NEW! If you do not have your own original photos to send, we will find an image for you from what is available to us on Canva Pro, the Holy Cross Family Ministries archives, and/or a stock photo subscription.

We have been requested to no longer use images from sites for which we don't have a subscription, to avoid the danger of copyright lawsuits. Thanks for understanding!

If you would like to include a note with your article indicating the sort of image you're hoping to accompany it, we'll do our best to find something that captures the feel you're looking for.

You may use original photos but an image credit is still required. If you include original images, please add a note in your article doc with image credit information. (Saying "I took these photos" is good enough for me if you're the one who took the photos. Otherwise, I'll need the name of the photographer and it is up to you to request permission to use them - verbal permission is fine.)

CANVA

We have a Canva Pro account here. If you use Canva and would like to send a Canva image suggestion, follow these steps:

• Find the image you like in Canva.
• Click the 3 dots at the top right of the image (in the image selection menu).
• Place your cursor over the descriptive words in bold at the top of the box that pops up, and copy that link.
• Email the link with your article (include it at the top or bottom of your article).

In the screenshot below, this is the link you'll get from the photo of daisies: https://www.canva.com/photos/MADQ5iXhRVI/

SACRED ART IMAGE SOURCES:

Don’t just use an image search on Google, Bing, or other browser to find images. Don’t use images from Pinterest. 

The sources in the list below have been carefully checked to make sure that they offer public-domain images.

If you select an image from one of those sources, simply email the link to the image (not the main page of the image source). 

• Wikimedia Commons
• National Gallery of Art
• Art Institute of Chicago Public Domain Images (please double-check that an image is labeled "CC0 Public Domain Designation" before using)
• Smithsonian Museums Open Access (all public domain)
• Metropolitan Museum of Art. Check for CC0 designation below the image or narrow your search to include only those in the public domain by checking the "Public Domain Artwork" filter in the left sidebar.
• New York Public Library Digital Collection. Required attribution as follows: please credit us as the source using the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site.

Wikimedia Commons isn't the most user-friendly place for a general search, but they have a treasure trove of sacred art available in the public domain. Use these links to find sacred art on specific topics on Wikimedia Commons: 

Images of Jesus in art  

Images of the Holy Family in art   

Virgin Mary    

Images of St. Joseph in art   

More art sources from the USCCB:

(Note: please check guidelines on each site carefully to make sure that you are using an image clearly marked “public domain” and follow their guidelines for attribution.)

• National Gallery of Art
• The J. Paul Getty Trust
• Yale University Art Gallery
• Yale Center for British Art
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• British Library, Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts

If you select an image from one of those sources, simply email the link to the image (not the main page of the image source). 

We don't use vector graphics or other illustrations for featured images. We can use those inside articles if they’re necessary to the subject matter, but for the featured (header) images we are looking for photographs. Check out our Mood Board for examples of the look and feel of photos that make good featured images.

You may use your own photos with your articles. If you submit more than one image, please be sure that you include notes within the article itself that indicate where each image should be placed. All submitted images should measure at least 1080 pixels wide and should be in JPG or PNG format (not PDF).

If you create an image in Canva or Stencil, let us know that when you send in your image. 

Because large file attachments often cause an email to remain undelivered, please be sure to submit your images by uploading to your Teams folder.

Of course! Here are some particulars: 

If you have an Amazon affiliate link you would like to share with your book review, you may certainly include that. It’s helpful if you leave me a note in your article doc, stating that you’re using affiliate links. I have a little message that I add to those articles (to keep Amazon happy, because there are rules about using affiliate links). 

One thing we never do with links: including a link on only the word “here.” This practice makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the site readers used by visually-impaired people to indicate to the user where the link is going. It’s best to connect the link to a meaningful description. So instead of saying, 

Go here to see book reviews at Catholic Mom 

please say something along the lines of: 

Visit Catholic Mom’s book review section 

There are other (technical) reasons that it’s good to set up your links like this, but for me, this is the most important one. We do have visually-impaired readers; in fact, we even have a visually-impaired writer on our Daily Gospel Reflections team! And if a little change like this makes it easier for someone to use our content, we’re going to make that change.  

Publishers and authors who offer review copies do so in the hope that a review will be published soon. Often, these offers are timed to coincide with the release of a new book. Please make an effort to turn in your review within a month or two after receiving your book.

Please share your review on your own blog, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher's website if there's a place available for a review. Every review helps authors get more attention for their books—and it's never too late to catch up on those!

We know that some publishers have been challenged by shipping delays. If you're expecting a book and haven't received it within 3 weeks, please email me so I can check on that.

If you read a book for a potential CM review and don’t think it’s a good fit for the visitors to our site, we trust your judgment there. If you do not feel that you could give a book a generally positive review (of course there are almost always things here and there that a reader wouldn’t agree with, but we’re talking about major issues), then we prefer to decline to review that book. We'll notify the publisher on your behalf that the book won't be reviewed here. If in doubt, ask! 

You are always free to mention that you felt something was lacking in a particular book, in the context of a review that, overall, is positive. That kind of information is helpful to our readers! We try to keep our reviews mostly positive, but you can include (for example) that you felt something was lacking, or that it's targeted for the wrong age group (if it's a children's book), things like that. 

Make sure to include the full title and author of the book in your book review—preferably within the first sentence or two. Readers should not have to go more than one paragraph before they get to this information. If possible, mention the author's name and the title at least two more times during your review.

For length: it’s as long as it takes. Please, please, please don’t start the review with “I was so excited to get to review BOOK XYZ” – it is much better to just jump right in and say something you loved about the book. You want to grab the reader’s attention right at the top and let them know what’s most important. Later in the review you can express your enthusiasm for reading it/sharing it with your children — and that’s always great to do!

If it’s a children’s book, be sure to indicate what age it’s for; if you shared it with your children, tell what they liked about it, and talk about the illustrations if it’s a picture book. Name the illustrator, as well. Picture book reviews are necessarily going to be shorter than reviews of 300-page spiritual nonfiction work, and that’s fine.

Book reviews are considered regular articles unless the contributors tell me they are “extra,” so your review would be due whenever your next article is due. Publishers do hope that you’ll be fairly speedy with turnaround on book reviews.

If you liked the book, PLEASE help the author and publisher by sharing even a small review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and of course through your own social media.

You don’t need to provide any art for book reviews. We get that from the publisher.

If you have an Amazon affiliate link you would like to share with your book review, you may certainly include that. It’s helpful if you leave me a note in your article doc, stating that you’re using affiliate links. I have a little message that I add to those articles (to keep Amazon happy, because there are rules about using affiliate links). 

Please endeavor to mention books (and other resources) that are currently in print and available. If we’re recommending a resource to our readers, it should be easy to get. The markup on out-of-print books is ridiculous, and that’s a frustration for our readers. If you do wish to mention one (perhaps in a roundup of resources) do note that the resource is out of print and might be available in a library.

We love it when you quote from the Bible, saints, or Catholic resources in your articles! But we want to make sure all quotes are 100% accurate: words and punctuation matter. Keep this in mind:

All Bible quotes are fact-checked using the New American Bible: Revised Edition (NABRE), which can be found online at Books of the Bible | USCCB. Please make sure to take your Bible quotes from this source. Quotes from other translations of the Bible will be changed to match the NABRE, for consistency and accuracy*. 

*If you have taken your quote from a different Bible translation and that phrasing is essential to your article, you must indicate the translation you used.

For other quotes, please indicate the book (title, author, page) or online source (link) where you got them. 

We do not use footnotes at Catholic Mom. Please use inline citations to indicate your sources.

Publication of your article will likely be delayed if we need to follow up with you to get attribution for quotes you use.

We require new contributors to join us as monthly writers. You will be assigned dates on our publication calendar and receive notification of your schedule. Your submissions will be due between 7-10 days prior to their publication date.

Please note: Contributors are asked to share writing a minimum of four times per calendar year, at least once per quarter. Daily Gospel Reflections do not count toward this total. Contributors who are unable to meet this schedule should contact us directly to discuss arrangements. Contributors who do not submit four times in a calendar year will be placed on “hold” status and will not appear in site listings. Columnist productivity will be assessed at the end of each calendar year to determine if the quarterly quota has been met.

You will receive monthly reminders 10 days in advance of your deadline.

Absolutely. Please be clear if you are submitting early for next month or if your article is an extra that can be used at the editor’s discretion. We are always grateful when writers submit their work early.

Articles that are submitted after the deadline (usually Thursday at noon Pacific) will be scheduled at the convenience of the editor and may run later than usual.

Reprints from your own website are always fine. Please check with the editors of other websites on which you’ve published before sharing your work from there.

We do not accept partial articles with links to read the rest at another site. We will only print full articles at CatholicMom.com.

Yes. You retain full rights to your work.

Your column submissions may be lightly edited after submission. Major edits will be cleared through you before running on the website. We edit columns to ensure the best quality reading experience for those who visit our site.

We have been, and hopefully will always remain, a place primarily focused on family and positive topics. Editorially, we choose not to post on overtly controversial topics and do not post on political elections, candidates, or parties. There are times when a general reference is appropriate, but we never call out individuals by name for their support (or lack of support) of certain policies.

We also do not cover unapproved Marian apparitions, including Medjugorje, and articles submitted on this topics will not be accepted for publication. Similarly, we do not cover topics related to private revelation. In addition, we request of our columnists that their topics be 100% in line with the teachings of the Church. Please also know that these decisions are made in prayerful discernment and often with a check-in with a qualified spiritual director.

We will not cover topics of a medical nature or give any type of medical advice. This includes (but is not limited to) the recommendation of essential oils, herbal products, and diet programs.

If you have questions regarding the subject or content of a post, please feel free to clear the topic with editor@catholicmom.com prior to writing your post.

If you need to make changes in your author bio, here are a few things to remember:

• word count: no more than 65 words
• don't be too specific about how many years you've been married or the ages of your children—or you'll be changing your bio all the time to keep up with that!
• if you have several book titles to your credit, share a link to your website's book page rather than using all of your word count on book titles
• submit bio changes as Word documents in your Teams folder (separate from your articles, please)

We do things a little differently for Christmas and Holy Week.

DUE DATES for DECEMBER 2021/EARLY JANUARY 2022:

• Week of 12/6: Thursday 12/2
  • Week of 12/13: Thursday 12/9
  • Week of 12/20: TUESDAY 12/14
  • Week of 12/27: Thursday 12/16
  • Week of 1/3: MONDAY 12/27

CHRISTMAS: For the 8 days between 12/24 and 1/1, we ONLY run content related to the liturgical season, and often we rearrange publication dates so articles line up by topic to match the date (for example, articles on the topic of the Holy Innocents will run 12/28 regardless of your normal publication day). If your articles normally run during that period and you want to share a book review or write on a more evergreen topic, submit your work anyway; I will schedule it either before or after Christmas week.

HOLY WEEK: During Holy Week, specifically the Holy Triduum, we ONLY run Triduum-related content, and publication dates will be rearranged so articles line up by topic to match the date. If your articles normally run during that period and you want to share a book review or write on a more evergreen topic, submit your work anyway; I will schedule it either before or after those days.

JANUARY: Month of the Holy Name of Jesus

1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 
2 Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen 
3 Holy Name of Jesus 
4 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton 
5 Saint John Neumann 
21 Saint Agnes 
24 Saint Francis de Sales 
25 Conversion of Saint Paul 
26 Saints Timothy and Titus 
28 Saint Thomas Aquinas 
31 Saint John Bosco  

FEBRUARY: Month of the Holy Family 

2 Presentation of the Lord 
3 St. Blaise 
6 St. Paul Miki & Companions 
8 St. Josephine Bakhita 
10 St. Scholastica 
11 Our Lady of Lourdes 
14 Sts. Cyril & Methodius 
21 St. Peter Damian  

MARCH: Month of St. Joseph

3 St. Katharine Drexel 
4 St. Casimir 
7 Sts. Perpetua & Felicity 
9 St. Frances of Rome 
17 St. Patrick 
19 St. Joseph 
25 The Annunciation of the Lord  

APRIL: Month of the Holy Eucharist

24 St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen 
25 St. Mark, Evangelist 
28 St. Louis deMontfort 
29 St. Catherine of Siena  

MAY: Month of Our Lady 

1 St. Joseph the Worker
2 St. Athanasius
3 Sts. Philip and James
10 St. Damien de Veuster
13 Our Lady of Fatima
14 St. Matthias
20 St. Bernardine of Siena
31 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  

JUNE is the month of the Sacred Heart 

1 St. Justin
2 Sts. Marcellinus & Peter
3 St. Charles Lwanga & companions
11 St. Barnabas
13 St. Anthony of Padua
21 St. Aloysius Gonzaga
22 Sts. Thomas More & John Fisher
23 Nativity of St. John the Baptist
29 Sts. Peter & Paul  

JULY is the month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus 

1 St Junipero Serra
5 St  Elizabeth of Portugal, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
6 St Maria Goretti
9 St Augustine Zhao Rong & companions
11 St Benedict
13 St Henry II
14 St Kateri Tekakwitha
15 St Bonaventure
16 Our Lady of Mt Carmel
18 St Camillus DeLellis
20 St Apollinarius
21 St Lawrence of Brindisi
22 St Mary Magdalene
23 St Bridget of Sweden
25 St James, Apostle
26 Sts Joachim & Anne
19 Sts Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,
30 St Peter Chrysologus
31 St. Ignatius of Loyola  

AUGUST is the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

1 St Alphonsus Liguori
4 St John Vianney
5 Dedication of St Mary Major Basilica
6 Transfiguration of the Lord
7 St Sixtus and Companions, St Cajetan
8 St Dominic
10 St Lawrence
11 St Clare
12 St Jane Frances de Chantal
14 St Maximilian Kolbe
15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
19 St John Eudes
20 St Bernard of Clairvaux,
21 St Pius X
22 Queenship of Mary
24 St Bartholomew
25 St Louis of France
26 Our Lady of Czestochowa
27 St Monica
28 St Augustine
29 Martyrdom of St John the Baptist   

SEPTEMBER is the month of Our Lady of Sorrows 

3     St. Gregory the Great
5     St. Teresa of Calcutta 
8     Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
9     St. Peter Claver 
12     Most Holy Name of Mary 
13     St. John Chrysostom 
14     Exaltation of the Holy Cross 
15     Our Lady of Sorrows 
16     Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian 
17     St. Robert Bellarmine 
19     St. Januarius 
20     St. Andrew Kim Taegon; St. Paul Chong Hasang & Companions 
21     St. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist 
23     St. Pio of Pietrelicina (Padre Pio) 
26     Sts. Cosmas & Damian 
27     St. Vincent dePaul, Our Lady Star of the Sea 
28     St. Lawrence Ruiz & Companions 
29     Feast of the Archangels 
30     St. Jerome 

 OCTOBER is the month of the Holy Rosary  

1     St. Thérèse of Lisieux  
2     Guardian Angels
4     St. Francis of Assisi 
6     Bl. Marie Rose Durocher  
7     Our Lady of the Rosary  
15     St. Teresa of Avila  
17     St. Ignatius of Antioch       
18     St. Luke  
19     St. Isaac Jogues, St. John deBrebeuf & Companions  
22    St. John Paul II  
24     St. Anthony Mary Claret  
28     Sts. Simon & Jude   

NOVEMBER is the month of the Holy Souls   

1 All Saints Day  
2 All Souls Day  
3 St. Martin de Porres  
4 St. Charles Borromeo  
9 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica  
10 St. Leo the Great  
11 St. Martin of Tours  
12 St. Josaphat  
15 St. Albert the Great  
16 St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Gertrude the Great  
17 St. Elizabeth of Hungary  
18 Dedication of the Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul  
21 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  
22 St. Cecilia  
23 St. Clement 1  
24 St. Andrew Dung-Lac & Companions
25 St. Catherine of Alexandria  
30 St. Andrew   

DECEMBER is the Month of the Divine Infancy 

3 St. Francis Xavier 
6 St. Nicholas 
7 St. Ambrose 
8 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
9 St. Juan Diego 
12 Our Lady of Guadalupe 
13 St. Lucy 
14 St. John of the Cross 
21 St. Peter Canisius 
23 St. John Kanty 
25 Christmas Day 
26 St. Stephen 
27 St. John 
28 The Holy Innocents 
29 St. Thomas Becket 
31 St. Sylvester I (Pope)