I am thrilled and thankful to discover that tomorrow's issue of L'Osservatore Romano features a warm review of the new Catholic edition of The Thrill of the Chaste. The heart of the review by poet and literary critic Elena Buia Rutt, which is in Italian, says (in my rough translation), "The strength of the book lies in the authenticity of the profound and articulate story of a lived experience: chastity, from what emerges from these pages, far from being a denial of sexuality, becomes a way to experience it in a mature and adult fashion."
Here is a link to read the review online. You can also see how it looks in the newspaper (page 4) or see how Google Translate renders it in (very broken) English.
If you are a regular visitor to The Dawn Patrol, you may be forgiven for having a case of déjà vu. I am grateful and, to be honest, amazed, that this Thrill of the Chaste review marks the third time in seven months that my work has been reviewed or published in the Vatican newspaper. In April, L'Osservatore Romano honored me with a review of my previous book, My Peace I Give You, and in October it ran an article I wrote about my graduate-school experiences as "a woman in a seminary." I am now hoping that the editors will also like my upcoming book, which draws from Pope Francis's Ignatian spirituality: Remembering God's Mercy: Redeem the Past and Free Yourself from Painful Memories.
Thanks so much to all my readers who pray for my studies and apostolate. Knowing that I have your prayers strengthens, especially now, as I enter into the final weeks of writing my doctoral dissertation, which I must complete before Christmas in order to graduate in the spring. Please know that I pray for you and all my readers every day, at every Mass.
