SHU Staff Member Publishes Catholic Journal, 'WTF God'

Priscilla Hernandez creates means for open and honest conversations with God

Priscilla Hernandez, administrative assistant for the Department of Communication & Media Studies in the School of Communication, Media & the Arts, has independently published a journal, WTF God, employing an acronym for “Where’s the Finish?” or “Why the Failures?” The journal guides those who feel abandoned to build a connection with God through writing. It is available on Amazon under the pen name Silah Hernandez.

The journal offers two daily prompts, the first being “Letting Go & Letting God Handle This For Me.” This encourages people to trust God with problems for which they do not have answers. “In a way, it’s a practice in building up your faith, kind of like being able to say to God, ‘Come through because I trust You,’” said Hernandez. The second prompt, “Thank You God. Today I Saw You When,” is for people to express their gratitude. Hernandez included this with the knowledge that focusing on at least one moment of gratitude each day can rewire the brain to become more positive.

Inspirational phrases such as “24/365 Blessed & Highly Favored” and “God’s Got Me” break up the weeks. “My personal favorite says ‘... by faith’ at the top and lists all the names of people in the Bible who walked by faith, as listed in Hebrews 11,” said Hernandez. “I added a space at the bottom for the person to add their name.” Sundays have lined space available for free journaling, and the end of each month has a dotted space for people to get creative.

Hernandez was raised Catholic, but as an adult she began feeling disconnected from God and stopped practicing. She found herself too concerned with how she was going to be punished for her mistakes to have a stable relationship with God. “Sometimes there is so much emphasis on the ‘practice’ of religion that we lose sight that God isn’t expecting us to be perfect,” said Hernandez. “God’s grace loves us in spite of the mistakes we make.

After spending years praying for divine guidance, Hernandez was inspired to create a journal in which people could be honest with God and feel his presence in their day-to-day lives. “I wanted people to be able to unload those inner demons and heal without stigma or judgment,” she said.

Hernandez’s goal is that, for every one million copies of WTF God sold, she will pay off $1 million in student loans for African-Americans in the United States. She understands what it is like to accrue student debt and knows there are many others who carry the same load. She plans to help lift this burden for others.