Of all the things I've done along the road to separating from my husband, one of the scariest was talking to a Catholic priest about it.

Despite growing up Catholic, I had no idea how to actually meet with a priest. Here are a few tips I learned along the way. From easiest to less-easy:

1. Call or stop by your parish office and find out how to schedule the meeting. Does the priest keep his own calendar or does a secretary, should you call or email? Get your appointment off on the right foot by scheduling in an easy way for your priest.

2. Give the priest grace if he has no clue who you are when you call or email (or when you arrive to talk to him). Even if he has greeted you on your way into Mass every Sunday for year(s), even if you talked to him during Donut Sunday for 30 seconds once or twice. Priests see many people and just cannot remember everyone, this doesn't mean they don't care.

3. If time permits and there are multiple priests that you could meet with, reflect prayerfully on who you would like to talk to. Priests of course have their own personalities and quirks. Ask the Holy Spirit and listen to your inner knowing on this one. If you need help, consider asking during step 1.

Most importantly, if it's on your heart to go, just go. It was scary, but it was also the best thing I did.