Oct. 24, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — The Catholic Poetry Room, which had been a feature on the Integrated Catholic Life website since 2019, has a new standalone website. The new site (CatholicPoetry.org) has nearly 350 poems and a new search feature, so users can easily find poems by keywords or by categories, such as “Blessed Virgin Mary, “Eucharist, “Nature,” or “Advent/Christmas.”
In addition to poems by Catholic Poetry Room editor, Jeffrey Essmann, and editor emeritus, Tim Bete, the Catholic Poetry Room has featured more than 130 poets, including Sally Read; James Matthew Wilson; Dana Gioia; Marjorie Maddox; Sr. Johanna Caton, OSB; Angela Alaimo O’Donnell; and A.M. Juster.
“Few people read literary magazines, and most haven’t read any poetry since they were in high school,” says Bete. “Yet Scripture is filled with poetry and provides a different lens for us to know God. It’s a missed opportunity.”
“We look for poems that are accessible to the average person,” says Essmann. “It’s fine for a poem to be formally or thematically challenging, but it should always, ultimately, be accessible. We especially like poems that show a strong connection between faith and everyday life or break open Scripture in a new way for the reader.”
Poetry that is related to Scripture is one of the largest categories in the Catholic Poetry Room. The site also includes a wide range of poetic forms, from formal to free verse.
“We’re looking for an honest expression of the author’s spiritual journey,” says Bete. “We prefer work whose religious intent is carried more by imagery than sermonizing.”
The Catholic Poetry Room is a labor of love for the two poets, who hope more people will bump into a poem now and then.
“Whether you’re waiting for a flight at an airport, sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, in a queue at your bank, waiting in a long self-checkout line at the grocery store, or sitting at home with a few free minutes, the Catholic Poetry Room is only a click away,” says Essmann. “And, perhaps, spending 60 seconds to read a poem about how God waits for you to return to Him or the sacred mystery of washing dishes is exactly what you need in that moment.”
To learn more about the Catholic Poetry Room, visit: CatholicPoetry.org.
SOURCE Catholic Poetry Room
