Katie Ascough
Hi there, my name is Katie Ascough. I’m a Catholic journalist from Dublin, Ireland. Proud wife and mum of two — baby Peter who we lost in an early miscarriage in September 2020, and our baby girl who we are due to meet on June 23rd. (Yes, I’m currently 9 months pregnant and huge. It’s whale-like and uncomfortable, but exciting beyond belief.)
I grew up in a wonderful Catholic home. My parents were some of the first in Ireland to home educate. We used the Mother of Divine Grace School curriculum, so I had a classical, Catholic education for all 12 years. I then graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) with a 1st class honours in science, specialising in medicinal chemistry with chemical biology.
I grew up loving Jesus and gymnastics. I competed from ages 5 to 18, and it taught me a great deal about discipline, setting goals, and working hard to achieve them.
When I got to college, my faith and strong convictions led me to start debating, particularly on the issue of abortion. In 2017 I ran for President of UCD’s Students’ Union (a full-time position usually held by students with strongly liberal views with an ambition for mainstream politics). I was humbled and honoured to be elected in a four-way race, after a long and hard-fought campaign with a wonderful team of about 25 students who helped as we stuck up posters, handed out leaflets, and spoke to as many students as possible. I was known on campus to be pro-life — and usually that would spell disaster for a students’ union candidate. I ran my campaign on positive, student-based issues — like microwaves on campus, mental health, and better safety. Students voted for the things that mattered to them, and the controversial issues took a back seat in a rare victory for hard work, inclusivity of views, and wokeness not winning the day.
Five minutes after I was elected, those usually puppeteering the union started calling for my impeachment. Cutting a long story short, they were eventually successful. While the process was vile and vicious, overall it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I was invited onto top radio shows in Ireland to speak about the impeachment, my pro-life views, and freedom of speech on campus. Outside the bubble of my college campus (which appeared to be, at least looking in from the outside, hotly anti-Katie), I found people were much better able to see through the injustice and small-mindedness of the impeachment.
Over the next few months, I was honoured to be awarded the Westminster Award for Human Life, Human Rights, and Human Dignity, presented at Westminster Palace in London by members of the House of Commons and Lords, for my standing up for life on campus. I was recognised by a university in Ireland with their Courage in the Public Square Award, and by a purely secular organisation, Junior Chamber International, with a “Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award”.
What purpose does this story hold so far? It sets the scene, and, in my opinion, shows the immense beauty of God’s plan in mending broken things (I mostly mean myself) and bringing them to a redemption far greater than the original state they were in.
As for what God was doing in my heart in all of this, He was holding and fortifying it. Teaching me to trust Him. Teaching me to believe in the power of prayer.
During my first 2 years of college, for the first time I started to stray a little, at least in my Monday-Saturday (Sundays were still holy) from the life God was calling me to live. I prioritised partying and drinking a little more than I should have, but still was known as the Catholic girl among my friends (for whatever that’s worth). I knew how to have fun (which is fine), but pushed the boundary at times. And that was the scary part — I could see the other side. I could see myself slipping farther and farther into an empty, meaningless faith. Until I started responding to God’s call in the form of defending life and standing up on campus.
The biggest internal change happened when I became a FOCUS Catholic missionary in 2018. For the first time in my life, prayer was consistent. Holy hours every day. A life fully lived for God. It was the break from media interviews and insane working hours (I became a pro-life spokesperson weeks after the impeachment) that would allow me to recenter and focus my life on God. Until then, partying and after that work had taken first place.
I won’t say it was easy, but it was definitely the most important time of my life. A year dedicated to God meant far more than years building popularity and a professional reputation. My priorities were finally straight. And with that, I was able to come back to Ireland much closer to the woman and future wife and mother I knew I wanted, and was called, to be.
And of course — I started dating the love of my life three weeks before leaving to the States for a year. We long distance dated for 9 months while I was stationed in Oklahoma, and got engaged almost immediately upon return. We were married a year later in the height of the pandemic. It was a crazy, beautiful journey and I wouldn’t change it for a thing. It wasn’t on our timing, but God’s. And that was the best part.
During our engagement, we launched an online faith formation platform, Called to More (@ctmcatholic), and have been privileged to host guests like Fr Mike Schmitz, Dr. Scott Hahn, and lots more on our platform. Our goal is to create freely accessible faith formation — using Catholic talent mostly from Ireland, which to date has been highly underused.
As for our personal lives, we are expecting baby no. 2. And our lives are ordered: God, spouse, children. That’s our life. Constantly growing in prayer. Learning charity. Practising love. It’s truly the best life.
To live intentionally, to live faithfully. To live not with one foot in the world and one in the faith — but both feet firmly planted in God’s truth.
Life is full. God is first. Praise Him!