By David Karas | Correspondent

Since 2009, The Monitor’s readers have become accustomed to seeing Christina Leslie’s name attached to stories ranging from youth features to parish profiles.

And most recently, the writer’s familiar byline has been updated to reflect her new position as a staff writer for the diocesan newspaper.

Leslie, an Edison resident, was brought onto the full-time staff of the bi-weekly publication last month after her five-year tenure as a correspondent.

In a recent interview, Leslie described the promotion as validating.

“It’s like graduating to the ‘big time,’” she said.

Her new position will include writing and reporting, along with assisting the rest of the staff in editing content and preparing the bi-weekly newspaper for publication.

Leslie, who at 53 is the mother of 28-year-old Jeremy, graduated with a degree in sociology from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. While she had completed a minor in elementary education and is certified to teach grades K-8, a dearth in teaching jobs led her to an office job.

She spent the first part of her career working with the Foster Grandparent Program, which links senior volunteers with at-risk children and those with developmental disabilities. After that, she served as an office manager at Hughes Network Systems for 16 years until the sales office closed in 2005 – when she began freelance writing on a more regular basis.

“I have always liked writing,” she said.

In addition to authoring hundreds of articles for The Monitor, Leslie has written for The Catholic Spirit – the newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen.

She also continues to indulge in her passion for singing. Since 2003, she has served as a cantor in St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen, and Holy Family Parish, New Brunswick, and currently sings for an average of four Masses each weekend, as well as at various weddings and funerals.

Leslie discussed some of the reasons she enjoys working with The Monitor.

“You are meeting fascinating people, and you get a chance to tell their story to a larger audience,” she said. “They are doing great works and you are letting it be known.”

She admits that reporting was not something she imagined getting into when she was young.

“God did this to me as a practical joke, because I am basically introverted,” she said with a laugh, adding that her lack of a strong sense of direction can make traveling to field assignments a bit of a challenge without the assistance of printed directions or a GPS system. “God played to my weaknesses and made them into my strengths.”

Leslie has been writing about further examples of what she calls “God’s sense of humor in my life” in her blog, “Pray, Add Humor, Then Stir”. The blog was launched in 2009 when she maintained a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in her garden and God conspired to protect a mouse that had invaded her kitchen. (The blog can be found on the Trenton Monitor website under the “Commentary” subheading.)

Leslie also enjoys the ever-changing nature of the stories she covers.

“I like the stories about youth and how they are making a difference, even at a young age,” she said. “They are not afraid to show their faith, or to take on something that we adults think is either not our place, or too formidable.”

She continued, “I also like some of the senior stories I have done (and) to get their insight and the way that they view faith.”

She said that she has also been inspired by clergy she has interacted with, and has enjoyed learning of the diverse paths they have taken to the priesthood.

“I can never be bored,” said Leslie. “No two days are alike.”