Hello!

Hi! My name is Teresa Coda, and I’m writing to introduce myself as a blogger over here at House of Joppa. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with a family-owned, woman-led, Catholic business and I’m excited to provide thoughtful content on topics related to Catholic spirituality and family life.

But before we get there, allow me to share a little bit about myself so that you have a sense of the person behind the words in these upcoming months.  

In honor of the twelve days of Christmas (of which we are right in the middle), here are twelve facts about me:

1. I live in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, a small, rural town next door to the town where I grew up. Suffice it to say that my moving here came as a total surprise to me. After living in New England for the past decade, my husband and I ventured back to PA about a year ago…and we haven’t looked back!
2. My favorite roles in life are being a mom to Esther (almost three) and Franny (one and a half) and a wife to Caleb.
3. Other hats I wear include serving as a Director of Faith Formation for Youth and Young Adults for a Catholic parish, freelancing for a handful of publications, and working on earning my Masters in Social Work.
4. My favorite (read: basically only) hobby is reading. I love reading all kinds of things — novels, non-fiction books, magazines, blogs, plaques at museums, the backs of cereal boxes…if it has words, my eyes are on it.
5. The movie I’ve seen the most is Little Women.
6. My secret (or not) superpower (or not) is writing Thank You notes. I am constantly humbled by the goodness and generosity of others and it makes me feel so good to express my gratitude in a detailed and specific way.
7. Some of the spiritual guides who have been most influential in my life are St. Teresa of Avila, Henri Nouwen, and Joan Chittister, O.S.B.
8. While I 100% understand that true joy and peace comes from God alone, there are all sorts of little indulgences that make my day-to-day life so fun and delightful…and since I do believe that it makes God happy to see us humans happy, I embrace the “little things.” Some of my go-to treats include a deliciously scented candle, a fresh cup of coffee, colored pens, a brand new journal, prosecco, and twinkly lights.
9. One of my worst habits is taking forever to reply to texts. Not literal forever, but weeks and weeks, and in the land of instant communication, that’s basically forever.
10. 2021 was the first year that I flossed my teeth daily. I’m both embarrassed (why did it take till I was 32?!) and proud (I did it! People can change!).
11. My favorite item in the House of Joppa shop is the Mary praying necklace. Interestingly, I didn’t feel a particular devotion to Mary until having children, but since becoming a mother, I feel a special connection to Jesus’s mother.
12. One of the ways I most like to pray is through listening to music. Current songs on my prayerful playlist include For the Beauty of the Earth, Bless the Lord, and the Doxology.