Meet Steffani Aquila | Founder of His Girl Sunday

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steffani Aquila and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steffani, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The sole purpose for starting this business was to empower communities to authentically live the traditions of their Christian and Catholic faith out in the world and in their homes. I grew up with such fond memories of family cultural traditions, it felt like there was always something special to look forward to. The seasons and feast days of my faith and my life made the ordinary, extraordinary. As I got older, I began to see less joy in those amongst me, less time for community, tradition, and celebration for God in our neighborhoods and city. Between the demands of work life, social obligations, and family it seems that people have grown tired, just seeking to accomplish what is right in front of them and stay afloat. I too fell into this way of living, and I realized one day that I was miserable. I looked back to a time of happiness and found no reason why my life couldn’t still be like that. For centuries we have seen groups of people gather in the streets, in their homes, and in their churches to celebrate the goodness of God and of life. This is what I long to see in the world again, and I am on a mission to see that change! My business exists to prompt people to recognize these ideals, that they are meant for joy-filled lives, and then give them tangible ideas for how they can partake in this lifestyle. I have consulted a multitude of parishes across this city to plan events and create resources for their people to gather and participate in. From processions, to festivals, to revamping formation programs, and planning seasonal events, this small business is leaving an imprint on this city that I can only hope will grow. I also have a growing blog where I offer resources for people to collect ideas for living festively in their home and with their community. To keep this ministry and blog going, I began an online market called Liturgy Market, which holds hand-selected and theologically rich heirlooms and gifts. These collections are carefully and thoughtfully put together with feast days and holiday faith traditions in mind. When you shop Liturgy Market you not only support my family, but other small businesses that I source these beautiful products from and you give me the ability to host my blog and serve the community. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a result of my business, His Girl Sunday, and the vision that I had to reimagine the way that we do ministry to be more cultural, liturgical, tradition-filled, and communal, I was invited by the Very Reverend Father Bame to work at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. From there I was given the role, Director of Liturgical Life, and in this way I am set apart because I am the first parish employee to ever hold this title. This to me felt monumental, the vision I have to see festivity back in our city not only became a full time job but a role, and one that other parishes could imitate. Communal celebrations of the faith could spread like wildfire now and I was being given the honor of serving and leading others. For those that don’t know, liturgical living is a phrase growing in popularity to indicate that we are seeking to live out the graces and encounters we have with the sacraments in a concrete way. The work I do is centered on the liturgical year and the sacramental life of the Church. It is my responsibility to revive and implement age old or new traditions that stem from the Catholic liturgical calendar. For example, every First Friday, in honor of our namesake, we host a First Friday Devotional Evening to the Sacred Heart which includes Mass, a guest speaker, food & drinks, and time to meet and catch up with friends. Initially it was easy to start down this road, I have a Masters in Theology and a background full of tradition, so I was able to share with others from those two wellsprings. However, transferring this to the online world and the competitive nature of social media is not without its many learning curves. With time, patience, and a lot of coffee I was able to press forward through those smaller hurdles. The mountain I face pertains to retraining thought patterns and behaviors that are centered around the pressures of daily life, and our lack of understanding true leisure, and festivity for its own sake. As adults we can be very good at doing some of these traditions or celebrations for children, but not for our own selves, and this is something I am seeking to expand people’s minds on. I do this by traveling across the city and the country giving talks and keeping fresh resources available on my website for each season so that all people have to do is adapt it to fit their own life and implement it. I have learned to really take this one day at a time, and to do so with love for others and patience with myself. This type of work requires perseverance and collaboration, so I have learned, even in days of discouragement, that if this mission is worth pursuing that I have to keep trying. Working alongside others helps immensely and is the only way that things like this get done and I have been gifted with many individuals, families, parishes, and businesses that see my vision and have helped to support it. I’ve also learned that the best kind of sharing comes from the authentic experiences of joy that I have within my own home and heart. When you run a small business it can be very easy to lose yourself to the work, but my best work comes from my own encounters of grace, and I need to give myself time and permission to experience those. The work will get done in due time! I want others to know that life is worth living, and it is worth living joyfully. Work is meant to serve you, not the other way around! His Girl Sunday is here to serve and encourage others to experience festivity, faith, and community in this city and hopefully in turn the world because God is worth praising, and each and every one of your lives is good.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would first take them to brunch at Tiny Boxwoods, this has long been a favorite spot of mine with its beauty, quaint atmosphere, and good food. Other places that I would take them to eat are Lucille’s, the Breakfast Klub, the Dunlavy, St. Arnold’s Brewery, the Original Ninfas, and Brenner’s on the Bayou to name a few. Of course we would have to do a little shopping and right now I really enjoy the shops at City Centre. My friends and I really enjoy seeing beautiful churches together and my three favorites are Annunciation, Holy Rosary, and of course, the Co-Cathedral. Hopefully we could catch a show at the Miller Outdoor Theatre or stroll through Buffalo Bayou. The Menil Collection never disappoints and their Bistro is always delicious. The water wall is also on this list and maybe a couple of museums, my favorite being the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Lastly I would make sure we catch some live music and I have had lots of fun at White Oak Music Hall, McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, and the Big Easy to name a few.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This love of celebration and community would not have been sparked without the creativity and effort of my parents, and then revitalized for me in adulthood through my in-laws. Both sets of parents felt that it was very important to have time for joyful experiences together. I would like to mention my dad in a particular way who has this uncanny ability to cook delicious food and effortlessly host others in our home for almost every special gathering. In a special way he is the one that showed me by example how to give of oneself for the good of another. The other person that deserves special recognition is my husband, who gave me the encouragement I needed to go forward with this idea, without him this ministry would not be possible. It is because of this marriage and his constant encouragement that we are able to share with others the joy that we have together.

Website: www.HisGirlSunday.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/steffani_hisgirlsunday

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hisgirlsunday