Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen one step closer to canonization

I was thrilled to learn this morning that the Pope has authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promote a decree confirming the heroic virtues of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. That means he is just one miracle away from beatification and two miracles away from formal canonization. An investigation of one alleged miracle has already been completed, awaiting the Holy See's ruling on whether it may be credited to Sheen's intercession. (Note that beatification and canonization do not make a person a saint in heaven. Rather, they acknowledge that God has shown, by answering prayers through a soul's intercession, that the soul is already a saint in heaven.)

As a new Catholic, I adopted Sheen as a personal intercessor. His writings, particularly Calvary and the Mass, helped me to understand how the hidden wounds I carried did not separate me from God's love. On the contrary,—as I now write to people who, like myself, have suffered childhood sexual abuse—even the wounds that have yet to heal become sanctifying when brought to the light of the wounded and resurrected Christ.

When I wrote about Sheen on this blog five years ago, reader Brenda of Flatbush responded with a personal account of how his ministry, witness,and great holiness enriched her life:

I had the prodigious blessing of hearing Sheen preach during a brief period of renewed activity here in NYC before his death. In college, in the depths of depression, I heard him preach his famous Good Friday homily, and the experience literally reshaped my soul. I also had a chance to meet him briefly several times.

And here's what you won't learn from Wikipedia, or even the unconscionably bad video record of his preaching: He was--is--one of the great saints of the 20th Century. Perfect, no, but that is the point of sainthood, the surmounting of deep flaws. He radiated a quality--one that I call, after Chesterton, "cosmic mirth"--that I have encountered in only one other adult, the Dalai Lama. Tragically, he may yet go down in newsclip amber as a Cold Warrior/TV novelty act, an artifact of Fifties American Catholicism rampant who was "kicked upstairs" in a late-life in-house ecclessial power struggle. Or worse yet, be remembered merely as the glib and charismatic guy who drew angels on a blackboard and beat Uncle Miltie in the ratings.

In fact, he was a mystic of the truest kind (no mere "theologian," "original" or otherwise), and his famously hypnotic eyes burned with some interior suffering that only he knew. To touch his hand was to be in the presence of electrifying grace, not mere charisma. His "dated" topical commentaries on the evils of Communism and the pitfalls of modernity have stood the test of time to become astonishingly prophetic. And his gifts as a communicator--which he could dial up or down in sophistication with no loss of mastery depending on his audience--have brought countless souls into the Body of Christ, including my own father,who was introduced to the young Rev. Sheen in the 1930s through the "Catholic Radio Hour." I grew up in a house with many of Sheen's autographed books (each autograph preceded by "God Love You"), and pray daily for his canonization. The bio that does him justice has yet to be written. But he's waiting to hear from you as a powerful intercessor, and given his gifts as a media master, I nominate him for Patron Saint of the Internet.

St. Fulton Sheen, pray for us!

Here are the compelling final minutes of the homily Brenda says reshaped her soul:



As you watch the video, listen to Sheen's description how Jesus will judge us by whether we have wounds to match His own, and you'll hear part of the inspiration for my book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints. He says:

"He said He would come like a thief in the night, and when He comes, He will have not wounds but scars—scars on hands and feet and side. And that is the way He will judge us.

"Show me your hands—Have you a scar from giving, a scar of sacrificing yourself for another?

"Show me your feet— Have you gone about doing good? Were you wounded in service?

"Show me your heart— Have you left a place for divine love?

"And that’s the way he will know His own."

Truth, forgiveness, justice

Since reading Michael Barrick's moving account of how My Peace I Give You, along with the courage he witnessed in Jerry Sandusky's victims, gave him the courage he needed to speak out, I have been engaging in personal reflection.

One point upon which I have been reflecting is Barrick's observation about Penn State's erasing Sandusky's name from a mural. He writes:

What does the future hold? I don't know. But I know this: Sandusky's image can be removed from anywhere and everywhere—except in the minds and memories of his victims.

I'm no expert on how to help victims recover from sexual abuse. But they've taken the most important first step. They have told the truth.

I have also been reflecting upon the points I make in My Peace I Give You, on what forgiveness is and what it isn't. Specifically, "Forgiveness does not mean forgoing the demands of justice."

I have forgiven. But Michael's words made me realize I have not yet followed the demands of justice, which require sharing the truth with those who may be helped by it.

Henry Marshall Ph.D. is a healthcare psychologist whose past experience includes working with disturbed children. An American currently living in Amsterdam, he is licensed by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (License No. 2-1541) and by the Netherlands' licensing board (BIG-register 19051371625). According to his LinkedIn profile, he is "co-leading therapeutic groups for all ages." He co-founded an organization called Tri-Energetics and, through another organization, inpeacenet, is involved with various retreats, including the Y-E-S Your Essential Self Stillness Retreat. He records collections of mantras under the name Henry Marshall & The Playshop Family.

If you are a parent who is considering having your child treated by Henry Marshall, there is something personal that I would like to share with you. Please write to me.

"I can’t remember the reasons I stayed silent"After reading My Peace, blogger begins to come to terms with his childhood abuse

As I spend the summer speaking around the country about My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints, I am constantly humbled to see the courage of people who, after being silent for years, gain the courage to speak publicly about being a victim of childhood sexual abuse. By their witness, they encourage others, showing them they are not alone.

Now Michael Barrick has joined the ranks of witnesses. A Christian author and blogger, Barrick had recently reviewed My Peace I Give You. Yesterday, he revealed on his blog that the book stirred up deeper emotions in him than he was initially willing to admit:

In short, I read much of it through tears. While Dawn’s accounts of the abuse she suffered are compelling, that isn’t why I was crying. The tears came because memories of the sexual abuse I was subjected to when I was a child came flooding back. The tears, by the way, were far beyond my control. Many times I had to get up and walk or even take a fairly long hike.

The experience moved him to open up to his wife about what he had suffered:

"Good God," I found myself saying, "That was 50 years ago. I can't remember all that, and I can't remember the reasons I stayed silent." Yet, individual moments remain very vivid.

Do read Barrick's entire post; it is intense, but ultimately inspiring. He concludes that the most important first step to healing for victims of childhood sexual abuse is to tell the truth—meaning to stop repressing painful memories, and instead reveal your pain to someone you trust. I couldn't agree more. May Barrick inspire other wounded souls to follow his lead.

Offering "insight and hope ... to any person of any faith"

One of the joys for me of having My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints featured at the Patheos Book Club is that the club's roundtable discussion of the book includes reviews that show how it reads for people who are not Catholic.

One of the most sensitively written reviews is by Christianity Today freelance contributor Michael Barrick, who writes on his blog:

While Eden examines the consequences of sexual abuse upon her own life—and how she has drawn upon the examples and intercession of various saints of the Catholic Church—her musings offer insight and hope to not just Catholics who are victims of sexual abuse, but to any person of any faith who recognizes the human body, mind and soul as sacred. ...

Without providing needless graphic details, Eden easily provides enough detail from her childhood experiences and memories to serve as an authentic witness to the damage done to one’s psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being when adults fail to keep a youngster from being treated as a junkyard by other adults. She finishes the answer by sharing the stories of saints, encouraging you to quietly lean forward, hand cupped against an ear, to allow their voices to whisper their stories from the past. As you listen closely, you will hear that, though we picture them with halos, they were just as broken and hurt as any human. Perhaps even more so, which is why the reason Eden is able to relate to their life stories and count upon their prayerful intercession. [Read the full review on The Barrick Report.]

* * *

Are you in or around New York City or Connecticut? Come hear me speak about My Peace! I'll be in NYC tomorrow and Connecticut next week. See my Author Events page for more news about my speaking tour.

At home with the red hat

For the past few days, I have been attending a conference on inter-religious dialogue. Can you guess who hosted our group for a talk at his home today?

Hint: Tomorrow night, I'll be giving a talk next door to his archdiocese about my new book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints.

My Greece he gives you

My new book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints just received its first review from an atheist, courtesy of my friend Todd Seavey, who does me the great honor of likening me to Plato:

[Dawn] reaffirms the wisdom that good character can endure—and be more important even than physical survival—under circumstances that test body and mind alike. From my secular perspective, I'd say the peace she describes saints knowing even in the face of death is akin to the phenomenon Socrates was likely describing when he claimed that no harm can really befall a good man. There are parts of us that attackers cannot ultimately reach.

I'll be seeing Todd this Thursday, June 21, at 8 p.m., when he interviews me about My Peace I Give You as part of the Dionysium, his live monthly variety show at Muchmore's, a new bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Muchmore's is at 2 Havemeyer Street, on the corner of North Ninth Street, just three blocks east of Bedford Avenue, which is the very first subway stop into Brooklyn on the L train.

It will be my first time taking part in one of Todd's nightclub events since January 2007, when he hosted a debate between me and author Virginia Vitzthum over the question, "Is chastity a good thing for singles?" As you can see in the video below, I said yes, it is!



To find out where I'll be speaking about this summer about healing sexual wounds with the help of the saints, see the listing of my upcoming events, part of the Patheos Book Club section on My Peace I Give You.

"Reading the book is like watching Eden open a jewelry box"Patheos Book Club features My Peace

Today, readers of Patheos, one of the most popular religion websites, were introduced to my new book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints as the book became the latest to be featured in the Patheos Book Club.

As part of the promotion, Patheos is featuring a new video interview with me (above and on the book club page) in which I talk about how, being a victim of childhood sexual abuse, I wrote My Peace I Give You to help others find the healing I found in Christ through the lives of saints who suffered such abuse.

Along with the video interview, I have a new essay on Patheos about healing sexual wounds with the help of the saints, sharing for the first time about how Blessed Laura Vicuña's witness gave me the courage to tell my own story.

Two Patheos bloggers also weighed in today on My Peace. I was so happy to read Eve Tushnet's jewelry-box analogy:

This is a very personal book. It’s the story of Eden’s own discovery of these saints and their stories, and her use of those stories in order to heal her own wounds. Reading the book is like watching Eden open a jewelry box and draw out each of her most treasured, personal, and beautiful items one by one, because she wants you to have them too.[Read Eve's full review.]

Elizabeth Scalia, a k a The Anchoress, draws parallels to physical healing:

Dawn has done something new with a subject that has been relegated to the self-help or explore-your-victimhood bookshelves for a couple of decades; she takes the deeply painful, deeply personal stuff that comes up when you dredge old demons out of the murky waters, and then treats her wounds with the antiseptic of faith and the balm of the saints, in order to bring about healing and something more: real hope for the rest of one’s life. And she shows others how to apply these remedies, too. [Read Elizabeth's full review.]

* * *
If you are in or around New York City, I'm coming your way this Thursday night. See my "Author Events" page on Patheos for more details, and please pray for me and those I seek to help as I tour the country sharing the message of My Peace I Give You.

Speak softly and carry a little mustard seed

I'm a great fan of the mustard-seed theology of our Holy Father. So it's a joy to see my new book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints cited by Father Phil Bloom in his homily for next Sunday as a work that will help people appreciate the parable of the mustard seed in that day's Gospel reading. (That's Father Bloom at right with me and Mark Shea during my May 2008 Seattle trip.)

Father Bloom writes:

The first book that will help appreciate the mustard seed is My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints. In it, Dawn Eden courageously reveals her own traumatic childhood experiences. She tells how those experiences led to fear, anger and destructive behavior.

How does a person overcome that negativity? Dawn had the benefit of therapy, but she discovered something more. As she embraced Christ in his fullness, she learned that some saints had experiences similar to hers. By God's grace, they were able to change evil into good, hatred into love, revenge into forgiveness." The transformation begins with something small - a "foothold of goodness."

Dawn uses the example of St. Josephine Bakhita. Kidnapped and sold into slavery, Bakhita experienced abuse that few people could imagine. She eventually wound up in a non-religious Italian family. One day a man named Illuminato Cecchini presented her with a small crucifix. Before entrusting it to Bakhita, he kissed it with devotion. The young woman did not know who Jesus is, but the crucifix had a "mysterious force" on her. Bakhita gradually realized that she could take her own scars to [the] Man depicted on the cross. That "foothold of goodness" led to an amazing transformation.

In My Peace I Give You Dawn tells how St. Bakhita -and other saints - helped her find healing for her own wounds. They show how things small - like a mustard seed - can bring results beyond imagining.

Tennessee walls

Today, on my way home from a friend's ordination in Jefferson City, Missouri, an unexpectedly long layover in Memphis led to a meetup with another friend who took me to the city's most famous home. The entire trip was laden with blessings—will write more about it later tonight. [UPDATE: Make that tomorrow ...]

* * *
Where in the world am I going to be speaking about healing sexual wounds with the help of the saints? Try ...

Washington, D.C. ...
Williamsburg, Brooklyn ...
Eastern Connecticut ...
Madison, Wisconsin ...

And that's just this month! For the latest update on my upcoming talks on My Peace I Give You, click here.

Anchoress a-weighs inElizabeth Scalia gives a nod to My Peace

Today I had the lovely surprise of discovering a positive mention of My Peace I Give You from Elizabeth Scalia, a k a The Anchoress. She writes: "Meant for those struggling with the lifelong effects of sexual abuse, Eden takes the unique tack of bringing the saints into the effort, which is downright inspired. The book could be a life-changer for some."

Capitol letter

If you think the bespectacled lady holding a sign in a Catholic News Agency photo at the Missouri State Capitol religious-freedom rally today looks like me, I disagree. It is me! I'm in beautiful Jefferson City for a friend's ordination. When I get home, I have one talk in D.C.—June 16 at St. Anselm's Abbey—before the My Peace I Give You tour continues with stops in New York, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and beyond.

Abbot and (Blessed Margaret of) CastelloFather Homick reviews My Peace

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to get kudos from the author of Joy Comes With Dawn. Even so, it is an honor to have my new book My Peace I Give You praised by Ukrainian Catholic Abbot Joseph Homick in a review with the lovely punning headline "The Dawn of Peace and Healing." (Although his review doesn't mention Blessed Margaret of Castello, I think I can still get away with the headline above, since that holy woman is featured in my book.)

The abbot observes:

Dawn is open (but not graphic) about her experiences of being sexually abused as a child, and while this phenomenon is all too common today, her approach to healing is quite uncommon—also uncommonly refreshing and, I’m sure, spiritually fruitful. While she did rely on psychological counseling (before she entered the Church; her spiritual pilgrimage runs the gamut from Jew to Protestant to Catholic), it was not always helpful and sometimes downright harmful. For example, a well-known New York City psychiatrist’s “therapy” consisted not in helping her heal from the wounds and subsequent inappropriate persona she adopted, but rather in trying to get her to eliminate every last sexual inhibition she might still have! She still recommends psychotherapy if one can find a good Catholic counselor, but she has recourse to another avenue of healing that many would not even think of: the saints. ...

Peace is offered by Our Lord, as is healing. It is neither an easy nor a quick process, but one’s attempt at recovery does not have to play out in interminable psychotherapy sessions, re-living past traumas or settling for soul-numbing medications. There’s a light from Heaven that brings understanding as well as peace and healing. There’s a way into the wounded heart, a way that leads to the Pierced Heart of Christ, a way upon which Our Lady and the saints can lead us, if we invite them into our struggles, our pain, and our hope. Dawn Eden sets this out clearly and cogently, and her own life is a testimony that one’s life need not be permanently wrecked by past experiences. [Read the full review on Abbot Homick's blog.]

My Peace now available on KindlePlus: My Our Sunday Visitor interview now online

As I prepare to continue my summer-long speaking tour to spread the word about My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints with a talk tomorrow night at St. Peter Church in Danbury, Connecticut (click here to see my tour itinerary), I'm thrilled to learn that the book is now available on Kindle.

Also, the interview that I gave to Our Sunday Visitor is now available online. Here is a taste of it:

OSV: You have said that this book is not just for those who have experienced sexual abuse. Do you think many people are carrying deep emotional and spiritual wounds they have not begun to heal?

Eden: Oh, there’s no question. Government statistics tell us that two-thirds of adults report having had at least one traumatic experience in childhood, and more than a third report having two or more. And that’s not even counting the wounds people have suffered as adults. So, yes, I do believe that nearly every one of us carries the effects of past pain. How we cope with those effects is largely determined by how deeply we are involved in prayer, the sacraments and the life of the Church.

That doesn’t mean that being devout delivers us from all mental pain or disorder in this life. I think of the author Evelyn Waugh, who was known for being personally abrasive. Once, when the hostess of a party asked him how he could be so rude when he was a man of faith, he responded, "You have no idea how much nastier I would be if I were not a Catholic." [Read the full interview.]

Many thanks to all the readers who have been praying for me as I spend the summer spreading the word about healing sexual wounds with the help of the saints. If you would like to also support my apostolate financially, I am grateful for your contribution. Click here to donate.

At the heart of the gospel ... is the Sacred Heart

My friend Father Gregory Gresko, scholar and chaplain of the Blessed John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C.,  today has a beautifully written article on the correct understanding of John Paul's Catecheses on Human Love, a k a the theology of the body. It's a long piece, so, if you don't have time to read it, you may wish to check out Catholic News Agency's summary of it.