Walker Percy's Jesuit inspiration

I just posted to my Substack, Matters Twomey, an exciting new revelation about how Father Louis J. Twomey, SJ, whose biography I am writing, helped inspire a character in Walker Percy's The Last Gentleman. 

Hear me share the message of The Sacred Heart, online and in person

I'm excited to have several events coming up to promote my new book The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times. They include a free webinar this Wednesday, April 2, at 3 p.m. Eastern time (sign up at IgnatianSpirituality.com) and a talk this Friday, April 4, at Holy Spirit Parish in Avon Lake, Ohio. Visit my Upcoming Talks page for information on these and other events, including the lecture I'm giving on April 8 in Philadelphia on "Father Ed: The Story of Bill W.'s Spiritual Sponsor." 

Bye-bye to The Bad Place

I loved Twitter. X, not so much. I am sorry to leave my friends who are still there, and hope to see them again on BlueSky (or, better still, in real life).

My new book, The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times, is out today!

A quote from my new book The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times

What a delight to have my latest book, The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times, published today by Loyola Press! Please write me at the email address listed at the bottom of my Biography/Contact page if you'd like a review copy or if you'd like to interview me about it. I also want to speak about it at any venue that will host me, so reach out if you'd like to bring me to share the message of the Sacred Heart in your town.

Remembering Lyle Brooks

My dear friend Lyle Brooks, nephew of Allen Ginsberg and grandson of Naomi Ginsberg, has died. I wrote a remembrance of him on Facebook. My hope is that someone will write an obituary of him that describes his twenty years as volunteer coordinator for Beyond Morning Sickness and the HER (Hyperemesis Education & Research) Foundation. He was an extraordinary human being. I can hardly expect in this life to meet anyone who has done more to help desperately ill women on an individual level to get the medical help, peer assistance, and true empowerment that they need. Thousands of women and their children are healthy because of his work.

Update: Funeral arrangements and a tribute page for Lyle are now online.

If you knew Lyle and would like to be in touch with me and others who remember him, please write me at the email address at the bottom of my contact page.

Read my new article for U.S. Catholic: "What Is Canon Law?"

 

Dawn Eden Goldstein, January 2025. Photo by Agaton Strom.

"A never-married man meets a divorced woman whose ex-husband is still alive. They fall in love and want to marry in the Catholic Church.

"A media outlet that brands itself 'Real Catholic' causes disruption in the Catholic community as it promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories.

"A group of women who are consecrated members of a Catholic religious institute feel that the Holy Spirit is calling them to leave their institute so they may start a new one.

"What do all those scenarios have in common? Each pertains to canon law ..."

— Read the rest in my new article published in the March 2025 issue of U.S. Catholic, "What Is Canon Law?" It's part of the magazine's long-running series "Glad You Asked."

Watch me unbox my new book The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times

Today I had the joy of receiving my author copies of The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times. I visited the local Madonna House community, where member Cathy graciously worked the camera so I could capture the moment of unboxing the beautiful books. Madonna House founder Catherine de Hueck Doherty (currently a candidate for sainthood) and her husband Eddie Doherty are among the holy people whose spirituality of the Sacred Heart I describe in the book. 

The Sacred Heart hits stores next month; in the meantime, a generous preview is available at this link. I'm eager to give talks about it, so please email me at the address on my Biography page if you would like me to speak on the Sacred Heart in your town.

My latest for Where Peter Is: A tale of two converts

A screenshot of the headline of my article as it appears on Where Peter Is

I am grateful to have a new article published in Where Peter Is: "A Tale of Two Converts." One of those converts, Julia Greeley, is among the "Saintly Six" African Americans in line for canonization. I researched her story for my upcoming book The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times. The life and witness of this amazing woman can teach us all a lot about love.

The secret Catholic history of USAID

The latest story on my Substack, Matters Twomey

Just a quick note to invite you to visit my Substack, Matters Twomey, where I've just posted about Father Louis J. Twomey, SJ's pioneering work with USAID. The post shares research from the biography I am writing of Father Twomey, A Priest in Good Trouble.

A mega-preview of my upcoming book The Sacred Heart is now available

The Sacred Heart preview as it appears on Issuu.com

Today I received a most welcome surprise: Loyola Press posted a 38-page preview of my next book, The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times. It's the largest preview that any publisher of mine has ever shared, and I am thrilled. 

Another happy bit of news is that sponsors have been reaching out to invite me to speak on The Sacred Heart. Thus far, I have Sacred Heart talks scheduled in Ohio and West Virginia, and I expect soon to schedule one in my home city of Washington, DC. Visit my Talks page for the latest tour news, and write me (dawneden at gmail) if you'd like to bring me to speak on The Sacred Heart in your city.