So many things exist in contrast to something else, existing only in the absence of their counterpart: strength and weakness, sound and silence, life and death, light and shadow. Our lives, too, are often divided into different versions of ourselves, shaped by the roles we occupy. The man at a Saturday night football game isn’t the same one praying in a church pew on Sunday morning, and the woman tucking her children into bed isn’t the same one competing in a pickleball tournament. Judith Vitanza-Kattan, however, lives where her worlds overlap. She prays while she tells stories, gives blessings while working, and meets the unspoken needs of those around her. Her generosity has made her a tireless philanthropist, steadfast friend, and woman of unrelenting faith, yet her charity remains modest, inspired by a savior with a servant’s heart.

Vitanza-Kattan is a philanthropist and children’s book author today, but the foundation of her current self was laid by her parents. She credits her father with teaching generosity, her mother with nurturing faith, and their marriage with showing her how the two belong together. “I say that giving back is in my blood because of my parents,” says Vitanza-Kattan. “My mom is the one who gave faith to me, which led her to pray for and help others. And my dad—everywhere he went, he was doing something. He never told me, but I remember seeing that at an early age. He found people jobs, and helped people pay for school and gave people hotel rooms when they had nowhere else to go. In different ways, they both taught me what it means to be a giver.”

Her love for her parents, particularly her late father, inspired Vitanza-Kattan to write a children’s book. Light and Shadow’s Dreamy Adventures began as letters to her father during the twilight of his life. As she wrote, she realized the themes of grief and comfort reached beyond her own family. “The book is about healing from losing someone that we love,” she says. “A lot of my friends and family have young children, and they aren’t always prepared for something like that. One purpose of the book is to help them through it, which is why all proceeds are donated to children’s mental health services.”

Just as the idea for the book emerged from reflection, its illustrations came from the creative process. Though she admires and collects art, Vitanza-Kattan has never considered herself an artist. The sketches she created as placeholders ultimately became part of the finished book, their childlike simplicity matching the spirit of the story. “I’m by no means an artist. I started by drawing how a little kid might, thinking I’d have someone else do the art. But when everybody saw them, they said to leave them as they were. It makes sense that a children’s book would have pictures that look like a child drew them. Everyone can identify with them.”

Vitanza-Kattan’s love of art and philanthropy led to opportunities beyond her book, including a friendship with artist Hunt Slonem. Their introduction felt like kismet. She had long admired Slonem’s work, from his iconic rabbit paintings to his portraits and sculptures, and she believed they would become friends if they ever met. Until then, she was content to collect his art.

After convincing a New Orleans gallery to open after hours so she could purchase one of Slonem’s pieces, the owner invited Vitanza-Kattan and husband Daniel Miremont to join him and the artist for dinner. The two became chosen family that very day, and their friendship has deepened with each passing year. Vitanza-Kattan became a muse to Slonem in more ways than one, inspiring both his artwork and his conversion to Catholicism, a journey she and her husband later guided as his godparents. Together, they live the commandment of 1 Peter 4:10, using their gifts to serve others as “faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Vitanza-Kattan and Slonem also share a connection to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City as parishioners and benefactors. Together, they support the church’s prison ministry, Thrive for Life, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals rebuild their lives through education, spiritual guidance and stable housing. Beyond fundraising, the pair furnish homes with furniture and artwork, believing beauty itself can be restorative.

“No one should be punished for life for a mistake,” she says. “These people get out of prison and have nothing, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and be surrounded by beauty. It makes them feel valued. We see a person’s humanity and really care for them so they can become somebody in life.”

While Vitanza-Kattan’s work with Thrive for Life is publicly known, she finds more opportunities to serve her Baton Rouge community away from the spotlight. She’s made a habit of waiting for need to find her and responding however she can. Sometimes her generosity is profound, like supporting a neighbor through a medical crisis. Just as often, it’s as humble as offering a blessing to a passerby or praying with a stranger. “I don’t need recognition to help you. Let me do what you need me to do,” she says. “I can fundraise, and I can give, and I can pray. I am so blessed to be able to bless others. My biggest joy is to go to bed at night and think, ‘We made someone feel better—happier. I helped somebody change their life.’”

Whether through grand gestures or simple blessings, there are always ways to help your fellow man. “Follow your heart. It will always tell you what’s right,” says Vitanza-Kattan. “When I want to listen to my dad or my own reasoning, I sit in silence and pray. In silence is when you hear your heart the best. Be open and look for the people you can help, even if it’s small. If you can change one life—one soul—you’re doing the work God asks us to do.”