Hi, I’m Courtney, the founder of Heart + Host Catholic.
When I became a mom, I began to see my faith in a new light. I had always been Catholic, I was born and raised Catholic. I attended Catholic elementary school and then CCD classes until confirmation. But I never really “knew” Jesus. I was going through the motions. But raising my own children made me realize how deeply I wanted them to know and love Jesus—especially in the Eucharist.
I experienced a deep encounter with Christ during my college years through campus ministry, where I truly began to know Jesus and love Him. Thanks to a great priest, I attended FOCUS conferences and weekly Wednesday night dinners where we heard inspiring stories of faith. I became Community Service Chair, and eventually Vice-President of our Catholic Campus Ministry.
But motherhood made my faith feel even more urgent and personal. Suddenly, the responsibility of passing on the faith was no longer abstract—it was right in front of me in two little souls entrusted to my care. This realization became even clearer when I attended a Homeschool and Young Mom’s Retreat in my diocese in 2026. One of the speakers said something that shook me to my core: “Only YOU are responsible for your children’s salvation.” Not their teachers. Not their friends. Nobody but me.
I was already incorporating the faith into our family life. Going to Mass, having a nightly prayer routine, praying before meals, learning about the saints, and trying my best to live the Catholic faith at home. At the time, my 3-year old son and I were doing homeschool preschool lessons a few days a week to learn the ABCs. With every letter, I tried to teach about a corresponding saint or Catholic element. I found myself creating more activities than I was finding in all my online research.
Creating classroom resources isn’t foreign to me. As a former Spanish teacher who loved creating meaningful learning experiences, this felt right at home for me. Since 2016, I have been supporting Spanish teachers through my blog and store Llearning Llama.
So, naturally, I used my teacher and resource creator experience at home. I was looking for ways to make even my little toddlers know Jesus in an accessible, meaningful way. I was creating saint coloring pages, matching games, weekly Sunday Mass activities, and more.
Heart + Host grew out of that search—a place to create faith-filled resources that help families nurture little hearts for Christ, centered on the Eucharist. And I’m so glad you’re here. I want to share what I create for my kids with your family. It is my hope that these resources and ideas will bring you and your family closer to Jesus.
I’d love to connect with you to hear how you are raising Catholic children, living liturgically, and keeping your little ones’ attention during Mass. You can follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
