L'Osservatore Romano publishes the preface of my new book, Remembering God's Mercy

The preface of Remembering God's Mercy as it appears
on page 4 of the February 18 edition of L'Osservatore Romano

Today I received the tremendous news that L'Osservatore Romano is publishing the preface of my new book Remembering God's Mercy: Redeem the Past and Free Yourself from Painful Memories on page 4 of tomorrow's paper.

It is a great joy to see my writings on Pope Francis's spirituality for healing of memories receive recognition from the daily newspaper of Vatican City State.

As you can see, L'Osservatore Romano translated my preface into Italian for its readers. If you would like to see what it looks like in English, here is a preview courtesy of Google Books.


Remembering God's Mercy is available from Aquinas & More, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and wherever Catholic books are sold.

L'Osservatore Romano reviews the new Catholic edition of The Thrill of the Chaste

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.

L'Osservatore Romano publishes my article "A Woman in the Seminary"

Photo by Joy Rhine for the Saint Benedict Forum

Page 5 of today's issue of L'Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Vatican, features an article I wrote about my experiences as "A Woman in the Seminary."

My hope is that, by writing on the joys and difficulties of being among the few women studying for a pontifical doctorate, I will help the Church better understand what female theology students have to offer and how to welcome them. In composing the article, I was encouraged by Pope Francis's repeated exhortations for the Church to develop its "theology of women," and by his creating new opportunities for female theologians.

Right now, the article is available only in the original Italian, which you can read online or download as a PDF. I am hoping it will be in the weekly English edition as well, which will be published on Friday, in which case I will link to it here. Otherwise I will seek to have it reprinted in an English-language publication. (Update, 11/23/15: The article did appear in the English edition, on page 14 of the November 6, 2015 issue. It also appeared on the First Things website.)

It is a great honor to be published in L'Osservatore Romano, and I am most grateful to the editors for giving me a voice in its pages.

L'Osservatore Romano reviews My Peace I Give You

Sono guarita da un abuso sessuale grazie ai santi http://t.co/S9MrXfwYR0 @DawnofMercy pic.twitter.com/mKgjC7zA9w
— TEMPI (@Tempi_it) April 23, 2015

I am overwhelmed with joy this morning upon discovering that today's edition of L'Osservatore Romano features a beautiful review of my book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints.

The review is on page 4 of the newspaper, which is available online in PDF form. Its headline, translated, reads: "The journey of healing: From pain to violence to conversion." A brief teaser for the review appears on the L'Osservatore Romano website, and the review also appears in its entirety on the website of the Italian publication Tempi. (Not knowing Italian, I used Google Translate on the Tempi reprint to gain an idea of the review's content. My hope is that the piece will be included in the weekly English edition.)

* * *
There is a Jewish prayer that expresses how I feel right now: Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam shecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higyanu lazman hazeh. "Blessed art thou, O Lord Our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this present season." I am deeply thankful for the divine providence that brought me to seek the Lord's face in the heart of his Church.

My gratitude also goes out to everyone who has supported me with prayer and encouragement since I began to share the message of My Peace I Give You. You are all in my prayers. Please keep me in prayer as I leave today to deliver a three-day workshop to the formators of a religious institute; the topic will be spiritual healing for adult survivors of abuse.