We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sr. Allison Regina Gliot a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sr. Allison Regina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I’m part of a religious congregation of sisters called the Daughters of St. Paul. Our mission is to spread God’s love through the media, whether that is traditional media like books or radio, or newer forms of digital media like social media.
I was that kid in high school who only turned on my phone when I wanted to call someone. I had zero interest in social media, and I pretty much only used a computer for homework. So when I was in college and told my friend I was interested in becoming a Daughter of St. Paul, her response was, “The media nuns? YOU?”
It was ironic. But as I started thinking about religious life, I also started noticing other things: how much time people spend online. How much power social media has to connect people or separate them. How much potential media has to be used for good, and the devastating effects it can have when it’s used for evil. And when I saw religious sisters bringing God’s love and peace into those spaces, something stirred in my heart. I wanted to be a part of it.
I joined the Daughters of St. Paul in 2017. Since then, I have been stretched in many ways. I’ve spoken on the radio and published books. I’ve gotten on social media, and I even keep my phone on (most of the time). I don’t do it for myself. I do it because I’ve found love, joy, and healing in Christ, and I want to do everything I can to share that with others.
Sr. Allison Regina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always loved reading and telling stories (the more fantastical the better). I fell in love with Jesus while I was in college and became a Daughter of St. Paul (aka Media Nun) after graduation so that I could spend the rest of my life with him. And I’ve had many adventures since then.
One of my main ministries is working as an editor and author for Pauline Books & Media, the independent publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul. At Pauline Books & Media, we are committed to creating high-quality, trustworthy Catholic books and resources that respond to the real needs of Catholic families and individuals with the hope of the Gospel. It is my joy to work with authors (often first-time authors) to develop their books and share them with the world. Many of the books we publish are ones that would not be picked up by a mainstream publisher, and yet we feel they are answering the spiritual hungers that many people have. Our hope is always to help readers have a personal encounter with God through Christ and his Church through our books.
As an author, I love to write all sorts of things: picture books, young adult novels, nonfiction books for kids and teens—basically, anything Jesus inspires me with, the more fantastical the better. I believe God can speak to us in powerful ways through stories. I strive to write books that inspire readers to meet him more deeply in their everyday lives, blending mystery and wonder with the truths of Catholicism through premises that range from fantasy to real life (though, I often find that real life is stranger than fiction!). I am the author of the picture books Eli’s Quiet Friend (a story about a boy on the autism spectrum) and The Book That Changed Everything (a whimsical tale about the Bible), and co-author of Forgiven: A Guide to Confession and the Examen Prayer (a teen-friendly guide to finding forgiveness in God). I am also the author of an urban fantasy trilogy of young adult novels, the first of which is set to release this summer.
As a Daughter of St. Paul, I am active on social media, primarily Instagram and X under the handle @sister_allison. I’m not naturally inclined to social media (I’d rather be reading or writing a novel!), but Jesus pushed me to get online and just be my quirky self, so that is what I do. In this time when there is so much noise and division running rampant in society, I try to bring a sense of God’s love, peace, and joy to everything I do online. And, of course, I wouldn’t have anything worth sharing with others if I wasn’t being sustained through my daily prayer as a Daughter of St. Paul and supported by the sisters in my community!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn is the idea that only popular and successful initiatives have worth.
When I first got on social media and started writing books, I often operated under the unconscious assumption that if no one noticed what I was doing, it didn’t have value. I automatically judged how good something was by how popular it was. That is an easy mindset to fall into in a world where algorithms reward views and “going viral” is so sought after. But I started to notice that the creatives I followed on social media whose work I enjoyed the most weren’t the most popular ones. My favorite authors, musicians, and businesses weren’t the biggest ones, or even ones most people had heard of. They were the ones doing what they loved skillfully and unapologetically, regardless of how much the algorithm liked it or how many followers jumped on their bandwagon. Loving these lesser-known creatives gave me the freedom to realize it’s okay to be small. Sometimes, it’s even good.
Quality has very little to do with popularity. And reaching a niche audience, or creating a community (even a small one), or uniquely meeting a need that has not been met by others is valid and important even when it doesn’t make you famous.
As a religious sister, I try now to focus less at the external markers of success and more on the way my work is touching people’s hearts. That has helped me stay grounded in what I do and why I do it.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Creative inspiration is hard to explain to those who aren’t used to doing creative work. A lot of people ask me where I get my story ideas from. Most of these people are not writers, and I think that is because authors (and other creatives) know there is no simple answer to that question of inspiration.
If I was giving a simple answer, I would say that Jesus is where I get my story ideas from. But that doesn’t mean Jesus dictates books to me word by word. My story ideas are made up of all the “stuff” of my life: my experiences, memories, musings, fears, loves, prayers, and dreams. Sometimes God weaves those together into a coherent story that he asks me to tell. Other times, he picks seemingly unconnected pieces out of my conscious and subconscious self and hands them to me, saying, “Here are the ingredients for the next one. Have fun.” I know each piece is important, I know that together they can be something brilliant. But it takes me time to figure out what story they belong to and how to best tell it. And, yes, it is fun.
Inspiration is a complicated, mysterious, and sometimes sacred force that animates our creativity. Different people experience it differently, and the best part is that–like with God–you don’t have to fully understand it to have a relationship with it. That is part of what makes it so beautiful and exciting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gliot.pauline.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sister_allison/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allison.gliot
- Twitter: https://x.com/sister_allison
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@daughterstpaul
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pauline-books-and-media-miami-miami
- Other: Pauline Books & Media Publishing House: https://pauline.org/publishing/
Pauline Books & Media Online Store: https://paulinestore.com/
