Reading Catholic

Reading Catholic and catholic

Meet a Reader

Meet a Reader: Sister Veronica Morris, OSF

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Here is the December featured “Reader” that appears in the most recent print edition of  The Catholic Post. I’ve known Sister Veronica for a long time, and I so appreciate both the chance to hear about the books she loves and her willingness to be featured here.  Thank you, Sister!

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How you know me:

 I am a member of The Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in East Peoria. Our Apostolate is healthcare. We sponsor OSF Healthcare. You may have seen me at the hospital, The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, or at one of the local parishes.

Why I love reading:

 For me, reading is both educational and enjoyable. I love to pick up a book and learn something new; whether that be a subject completely unknown to me or something that I know a little about, but want to dig deeper into. I also love to read because it has a way of expanding my worldview, and challenging my thoughts and feelings about a particular subject or person. I inherited my love of reading from my mom. We both have a tendency to have multiple books started at any given time.

What I’m reading now: 

Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality by Raymond Arroyo. I just started reading it but I just love the practical, no-nonsense advice she gives on deepening your spiritual life. I have also read Arroyo’s biography of her, Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles. Both books are absolutely worth the read and I highly recommend them.

2.   Pope John Paul Speaks to Religious 1981-1982, Book II by Pope John Paul II
Absolutely beautiful transcripts of Blessed John Paul II’s talks to religious when visiting near and far. He had such a beautiful way of affirming religious, and at the same time calling us to authentic renewal. It is just as relevant and powerful today as when he spoke those words.

My favorite book:

The Way of Divine Love by Sister Josefa Menendez. This book is her spiritual diary; it’s the story of an amazing soul through whom the Lord chose to communicate His love to the world. I really don’t have many words to explain why it is my favorite, but I do know that it is one that I will read over and over.

Meet a Reader: Father Joseph Presley

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How you know me: I’m the parochial vicar (assistant pastor) at Corpus Christi and St. Patrick’s parishes in Galesburg and Sacred Heart parish, Abingdon. I am also a religious, a member of a small congregation named the Institute of Charity (Rosminians), founded by Blessed Antonio Rosmini, whose charism is universal charity.

Why I love reading: In the words of Francis Bacon, “Reading maketh a full man.” By reading we can have all of the wisdom and experience of the past as a gift without the labor of having to work it out ourselves; wisdom that is perennially valid. Bernard of Chartres used to say that we [the Moderns] are like dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants [the Ancients], and thus we are able to see more and farther than the latter. And this is not at all because of the acuteness of our sight or the stature of our body, but because we are carried aloft and elevated by the magnitude of the giants. “For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4)

What I’m reading now:  Two books by Dietrich Von Hildebrand: Transformation in Christ and The Art of Living.

I became convinced that the personalistic philosophy of such original minds as Dietrich Von Hildebrand and John Paul II is the antidote to all the offenses against the life and dignity of the human person and a solid basis for constructing a civilization of life and love called for in Evangelium Vitae. I am reading Von Hildebrand because I find this philosophy to be extremely human(in the sense that God intended), rich and appealing, and I believe that this is the direction that God’s providence is leading humanity at this time.

I’m also reading Father Michael Gaitley’s The One Thing Is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything.

My favorite book: Apart from Sacred Scripture, my favorite book is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis. It is like breathing the pure, clear air of heaven when I read it. I can dip into it anywhere at anytime and draw a profound lesson and strength and encouragement along with a clear vision of the truth. Moreover it never wears out. It never fails to re-center me on what is essential what is truly important. Definitely a book I would want to have with me on a desert island!

Meet a Reader: Gina Vozenilek, MA

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Meet a Reader appears on the book page of The Catholic Post each month, and features a local Catholic who loves and reading.  Each “reader” answers four questions, and I love getting the chance to discover so many great readers and books.  I confessed to Gina–who I’ve enjoyed getting to know over the last year–that I was nervous about editing her answers for space for the print Post since she is such a gifted writer.  Thanks, for being willing, Gina!

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How you know me: Last year we relocated to Peoria from Chicago for my husband John’s job at OSF. We have four children: Mary is a junior at PND, twins Peter and Thomas are eighth graders at St. Vincent de Paul, and Anne is in fifth grade at St. Jude. We are members of St. Jude’s parish in Peoria. This past spring I graduated with my MFA in creative writing from Northwestern, where I also taught medical researchers how to write effectively. I am currently editing my thesis manuscript, a collection of essays on place and identity, into a book proposal. Wish me luck!

Why I love reading: When I was little my father built a window seat in my bedroom, and I would sit there for hours reading. My favorite books were the pale yellow Little House paperbacks. I imagined a kind of overlap between Laura’s world and mine, calling the forest preserve behind the house my “prairie,” for instance. I would get so deeply immersed in my books that my mother would sometimes kick me out of doors to go play. But the wide sky of unincorporated West Chicago seemed so much like Laura’s sky, I didn’t mind; I felt a continuity of experience in and out of the pages. I think this is why I love reading and writing: words form linkages between imaginations and times and places. When we feel a connection to a book—to a character or a setting or even a voice, we discover those common skies.

What I’m reading now:   I’m an essay junkie. Right now I am enjoying Sven Birkerts’ collection called The Other Walk (what that man can do with his childhood memory of a plastic tape dispenser is nothing short of miraculous). For gourmet literary snacks, I love the online site called Brevity, which offers a feast of flash nonfiction in 750 words or fewer. The current issue boasts one of my heroes, Catholic writer Brian Doyle. I’ve just ordered his book called Grace Notes.

My favorite book: I studied medieval literature, so I have a great fondness for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and works much earlier still. There’s a remarkable Anglo-Saxon poem, “The Dream of the Rood,” a fragment of which is carved on the 8th-century Ruthwell Cross. In a bold experiment with point-of-view, the poet invents a voice for the Cross (the “Rood”) which becomes a character. It speaks as a courageous and faithful retainer, narrating the Crucifixion of his hero-Lord, Christ. I love to think about that poet, thirteen hundred years ago in some candlelit hut or dark monastery somewhere, suddenly inspired to re-imagine that scene on Calvary from a fresh perspective. I suppose my favorite books and poems and essays are the ones that help me see familiar things in a new light.

Meet a Reader: Ryan Mattingly

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mattinglyHow you know me: I have been a seminarian for the Diocese of Peoria for one year. This summer I’m stationed at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Peoria. Before being a seminarian, I studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and lived/worked at the Newman center there. I hail from an Air Force family, so I’m not originally from the diocese.

Why I love reading: As a child, I loved that reading had the ability to draw you into a whole different world. I spent many nights staying up way later than I was supposed to because the book I was currently working on was just too good. As I’ve grown older, I’ve also come to appreciate the intellectual aspect. Whether I’m reading solely for knowledge or as a way to relax without turning my mind off completely, it’s always a rewarding experience.

What I’m reading now: Since it’s been a few years, I’m rereading The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the classic fantasy series set in Middle Earth. The author, J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and his faith is woven into the story. I’ve really enjoyed picking up all the bits of symbolism I missed the last time through. Of course, I’m also reading a more stereotypically seminarian book: Three Ages of the Interior Life by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. It’s essentially a roadmap for how people progress in their love for God, albeit a complicated one.

My favorite book: I don’t really have one book that I would say is my absolute favorite. However, if I had to pick, I would choose The Soul of the Apostolate by Jean-Baptiste Chautard. I read it a couple years ago, and its insights into the necessity of prayer completely blew me away. In fact, I’m planning on rereading it after I finish Three Ages of the Interior Life.

Meet a Reader: Jane Walsh

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Following is this month’s “reader” featured in the current issue of The Catholic Post.  Each month, I ask someone in the Peoria diocese to share the love of reading and books with four simple questions.

IMG_0581How you know me:  I am a member of St. Matthew parish in Champaign. I co-founded, with Fr. Johndamaseni Zilimu (recently been Assistant Pastor at St. Matthew), a group called Children of Hope and Faith (COHF). We help orphans and needy children in Tanzania, Africa receive a Catholic education. COHF also supports Angel Home Orphanage and funds specific projects to assist schools where children are sponsored. We are celebrating our 10th Anniversary this year and were very fortunate to be able to travel to Tanzania last November. It was such a pleasure to visit with all the children who are helped through our organization.

My husband, Michael, and I have been married for 28 years, and we have two grown children, Kathleen and Andrew, who grew up in Champaign and attended Holy Cross grade school and The High School of St. Thomas More. They both have lived at St. John Catholic Newman Center while attending the University of Illinois.

I also work part-time at C&A Inspirations, which is a Catholic book and gift store in Champaign.

Why I love reading: I love to read because it broadens my ideas and I am able to learn new things. I read mostly books on the spiritual life that inspire me to grow in my relationship with God and appreciate more fully our Catholic faith.

What I’m reading now: I am currently reading “Loved, Lost, Found: 17 Divine Mercy Conversions” by Felix Carroll. I like books on the Divine Mercy based on the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. I am also reading “The Way of Trust and Love: A Retreat Guided by St. Therese of Lisieux” by Father Jacques Philippe.

My favorite books: My favorite books are “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen, “I Believe in Love” by Father Jean C.J. d’Elbee and “Searching for and Maintaining Peace” by Father Jacques Philippe. Books on the Eucharist (such as “7 Secrets of the Eucharist” by Vinny Flynn”) are also inspiring to me.

Meet a Reader: Father Bob Cook, OFM Conv

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Father Bob Cook

How you know me:  I am the Parochial Vicar of Holy Family Parish in Peoria, IL.

Why I love reading:  I can’t imagine not reading. Reading is like eating– It is a necessary part of my life, but I definitely like some things more than others.

What I’m reading now:  Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald.  For the last year or so, I’ve been fascinated by Fitzgerald—especially his short stories, letters, biographies. He had an amazing gift for observation and story telling from an early age. His writing has a clear Catholic worldview and moral sense, despite his gradual departure from the Church as a young man.  So many great artists grew up Catholic– I think Martin Scorcese said something like “you can leave the Church, but the Church never leaves you.”

My favorite book:  So many favorites.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was probably the first book to have a real impact on me. In adulthood, the stories, essays and letters of Flannery O’Connor completely altered my perspective on the nature of grace and its operation in our fallen, yet redeemed, world.  Walker Percy’s novels and essays have really helped me to better understand, as he would say,  our common predicament.  I’ve been really influenced by the theology and cultural criticism of Romano Guardini.  So, too, by the writing and homilies of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI—he was like a modern Church Father.