Reading Catholic

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The Bigger Story {Lent Book Series}

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Today the Lent Book Series features Katie Bogner.

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Call me overly sentimental, but I would take something old, well-loved, and unique over a brand new item any day. A used item has a story that goes beyond the surface, a story that I appreciate and enjoy discovering.

The book that I would like to recommend for the season of Lent was already old when it fell into my hands.

After arriving at an extended family gathering a couple of years ago, my cousin asked me if I owned Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen.

Venerable Fulton Sheen and I have become quite good friends over the past few years, and my cousin knew that. She had seen a copy of the book at a Spoon River Drive garage sale just before coming to our family party. We hopped in the car and drove the few miles into town, visited the sale, and found the book.

Since it was not priced, I went forward to pay for it, questioning what the seller would like for it. He asked what I had picked out. When he saw my choice, he said, “Oh, no. It’s yours. I never take money for sharing Jesus. That Fulton Sheen was a good man.” Yes he was, and so was this giver. Instead of a dollar, he gets my prayers for his generosity.

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My “new” book was a little worse for the wear, and doesn’t look much better after a couple of readings by me. However, I have found the content to be rich and timeless and a treasure that I will return to again and again.

Sheen’s Life of Christ gives a detailed commentary on the days of our Savior’s earthly walk, from the Annunciation to the Ascension. In typical Sheen fashion, new revelations about the Gospel stories are shared with wisdom, wit, clarity, and depth. Written in his easy-to-read everyman’s style, it still astounds me the truths that he unpacks line after line. When read alongside Scripture, this book has given me a fuller image of Christ and His Kingdom.

Why read it during Lent? We relive snapshots of Jesus’ life all throughout the Liturgical year. Lent seems to be a good time to soak it in as a whole. Add the detail and depth that Sheen includes about Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, this book is a perfect companion during Holy Week.

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The cover of my book is battered, and I have added tape, notes, highlighting and some wear of my own. There are mementos still tucked inside from the former owners and some added by me. It certainly wouldn’t win any book beauty contests, but this is one of the most valuable books on my bookshelves. It has a story, and tells a story, and leads me to understand the much bigger Story that we are all a part of.

So I encourage you to go pick up a copy of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen’s Life of Christ. You might have to settle for a shiny new copy, but I am sure that Sheen (and Christ) would love nothing more than for your book to one day be falling apart from repeated readings and passing between many hands. Because isn’t the life of Christ meant to be treasured and shared? That is something worth being sentimental over.

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Katie is a teacher by day, DRE by weekend, crafter in her spare time, and late night reader. She blogs at Look to Him and Be Radiant.

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You might also be interested in:

*Katie’s blog is so worth exploring, for so many reasons.  She has amazing resources for catechists of all kinds, and lots more.  Unfortunately, I have used very few of them, but now that I’m taking another look perhaps it is time for me to add to our Easter calendar making this Way of Light mini-book, or encourage my younger kids to make a Fulton Sheen notebook. I fear that her blog in some ways is like Pinterest–full of lots of great ideas I don’t implement.  Before I go and make a board of all her ideas (another way to procrastinate!), I better complete one or two.

*Our diocese is currently in the midst of the Annual Diocesan Appeal, and this video was shown yesterday at all the Masses, to encourage giving. I remarked to my husband– I know a lot of people featured in that video!  One of them was Katie, who looked and sounded great.

*Katie was featured in”Meet a Reader” last year in The Catholic Post. Reading through that again I see that “story” is a theme that informs Katie’s reading and writing.  “Story” is something to ponder this late-in-Lent Monday as we grow close to entering into the Triduum Story.

 

Meet a Reader: Father Charles Klamut

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Sharing the “Meet a Reader” feature that appears on the book page of The Catholic Post every other issue.

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How you know me: I have served as a priest in the diocese since 1999, primarily in Peoria (St Philomena, Peoria Notre Dame, and St Mark’s) and, most recently, in Champaign as chaplain at St John’s Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois. I also write songs and release music CDs occasionally, and I recently started a website/blog called Pastoral Quotient.

Why I love reading: It’s been said that who we are in ten years depends on two things: the people we spend most time with, and the books we read. I strongly believe this!

The mind is like a field: we can let it grow wild, or we can intentionally cultivate it. One way or other, it will put forth. So why not be intentional? Proverbs 24:6 says wise guidance leads to success in battle; and through an abundance of counselors, there is victory.

Reading lets me tap the wisdom of many counselors, most of whom I will meet only through their ideas. Reading is an antidote preventing me from being a lame priest, always a fear of mine (prayer and friendship are two other antidotes). The people of God deserve thoughtful and wise shepherds, and intentional, consistent reading keeps me growing toward this goal. And growing makes me happy! Good reading enhances my pastoral intelligence and makes me a better priest, so I can serve people better.

What I’m reading now: I just finished Unlocking the Heart of the Artist
by Matt Tommey, a Christian artist from North Carolina who is part of a Christian artists’ guild. The book is a beautiful meditation on the spirituality of artists in God’s Kingdom.

I also recently read Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, a remarkable author who combines extensive research with journalistic readability in his books on many topics of contemporary cultural concern. Drive discusses the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation — and why the latter is proving more and more to be the superior “operating system” for human motivation in business and in education in today’s creativity and knowledge economy. I think the book has profound implications for pastoral ministry as well, which I am thinking through.

I am currently reading Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge by Dr Henry Cloud, a neuro-psychologist and high-level professional business consultant. Dr Cloud helps leaders lead more effectively by understanding how to steward the emotional climate of an organization in positive ways that actually honor the God-given ways people’s brains were meant to perform.

Next in my queue: A book on Flannery O’Connor’s spiritual journey by Lorraine Murray, which was given to me as a gift recently by the author herself after I collaborated with her husband, Jef Murray, at a recent Tolkien conference at Urbana Theological Seminary. On my website, I have a “Resources” page sharing a lot more detail about books and podcasts that have helped me.

My favorite book: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. People make fun of me because I talk about Tolkien so much! I taught a class at Peoria Notre Dame for almost a decade on LOTR, which was some of the greatest fun I’ve had in all my priesthood. I have actually written a book on the Catholic themes in Tolkien which is currently under consideration for publication.

Local Priest Has New Website, E-Book

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Following is another article of mine that appears in this weekend’s edition of The Catholic Post.

A local priest and author Father Charles Klamut, chaplain of St. John’s Newman Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign, has a new website called Pastoral Quotient: Disruptive Christian Leadership with the mission of “Equipping and inspiring Christian leaders for a smarter, more effective church.”

On Pastoral Quotient, Fr. Klamut posts thought-provoking blog posts like, “Five Leadership Lessons from Gandalf.”  He also has a new e-book out called, What Does Discipleship Look Like?

In What Does Discipleship Look Like? Fr. Klamut offers a challenge for Catholic leaders, and really, any Christian, who wants to share the faith in an intentional and eternally effective way. In a way, he’s “throwing down the gauntlet” to create real, active disciples who will desire to share their faith, as well as understand that faith.

“The church is not a self-referential, self-protectionary tribe fostering its own interests,” writes Fr. Klamut. “The church is commissioned by Jesus and empowered by the Spirit to go forth, announcing God’s Kingdom victory to all people, especially those farthest away, lost on the margins and peripheries.”

What Does Discipleship Look Like? provides, under the framework of core values of teachability, responsibility and missionary discipleship, a starting point for leaders to consider being bold and creative in evangelization. This e-book is a quick read, but the ideas shared, and the helpful Scripture resources at the end, provide a lot of food for thought, prayer and action.

Also of interest:

*Father Charles is featured in this weekend’s issue of The Catholic Post as the “Meet a Reader.”  That Q&A will post tomorrow.  Check back for it, or sign up to receive e-mail updates at the upper right corner of any page here on Reading Catholic.

*Visit Father’s new website Pastoral Quotient here. My favorite recent article, as described above, is “Five Leadership Lessons from Gandalf” as I am a huge LOTR fan, as well.  I also enjoyed “The Minister as Artist“–I haven’t seen the movie Babette’s Feast in years, but Father writes about it here; I think it’s time to go find it again.

*Last year, Father Charles’ writing was featured in America magazine in “That Man is Me,”  writing about how the novel, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, gave life to his priestly vocation.  It was much shared at the time and is well worth a read, or re-read.

Meet a Reader: Maddie Mangieri

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I’m delighted to feature Maddie Mangieri as a “Reader” here and in The Catholic Post this month.  I met Maddie last summer when she was an enthusiastic and terrific member of one of the Totus Tuus teams in our diocese.  Thanks, Maddie, for sharing your love of reading here.

Maddie Mangieri

How you know me:

I will graduate in May from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s in speech-language pathology. In the fall, I will begin a two-year graduate program. I was a teacher this past summer for Totus Tuus, a summer evangelization program that brings teams of four college-aged young adults to parishes to teach the youth about the Catholic faith for a week. I’m still going back and forth with the Lord on whether or not I will return this summer. My parents, Sam and Peggy, live in Galesburg, and my brother, Sam, is a seminarian for the diocese of Peoria. He’s studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Maryland.

Why I love reading:

I’ve always been a big reader. It started when I was in Catholic middle school. My English teacher, Mrs. Watkins, taught me how to “dig in”, if you will, and analyze the characters and plots. I took well to the Harry Potter series, which helped me to expand my vocabulary a great deal. Since college, however, textbooks have become my main focus, but I have been able to squeeze in some spiritual reading during my holy hours. For me, it’s the idea that I can escape from reality for a bit, or learn how to be a better version of myself based on the examples of the saints, or dive deeper into the mystery of our Catholic faith. When I settle in with a good read, I am taken to a quiet place of my own.

What I’m reading now:

I’m currently reading The Practice of the Presence of God
by Brother Lawrence. It’s about a French monk from the 1600s who developed a constant union with God that was rooted in the everyday practicalities of life. He continually spoke to God during every activity, at every moment, of every day. He felt that this was best way for his heart to draw closer to Christ. His witness has been influential in my life, and I’ve begun speaking in the quiet place of my heart more often, striving to find myself in His presence always.

My favorite book:

My favorite book is one that I haven’t actually finished yet. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is somewhat like a handbook on how to live as Jesus did. It’s not a book you want to sit down and read cover to cover in one sitting, or even in a few days for that matter. The Imitation is too rich to just zip through the pages. I’ve found that reading it in small doses allows me to meditate on the small, yet meaningful messages. Little by little, I can try to make my life an imitation of the One who created me.

I also really enjoy “The Hunger Games” series, so if you’re looking for some adventure and suspense, I highly suggest those.

Meet a Reader: Father Luke Spannagel

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Here is this month’s featured “Reader.”  Alert readers here will notice that I featured Fr. Spannagel when discussing Rogation Days a few weeks back. Thank you, Father, for being willing to be featured here.

Fr. Luke Spannagel

How you know me:

You know me from several assignments throughout the Diocese. Currently I am the parochial vicar for St. Patrick Church of Merna in Bloomington and St. Mary’s Church in Downs.  I also serve as the Episcopal Vicar for Rural Life for our Diocese and am a regular columnist for The Catholic Post feature “Chalices and Calluses.”

Why I love reading:

Reading truly does expand my mind and soul by challenging how I think, giving me new ideas, and inviting me beyond myself.  As a priest, reading keeps my preaching fresh and provides many starting points for conversations.  Most importantly, spiritual reading inspires me to keep growing closer to God and encourages me to hope more and more for heaven each day.

What I’m reading now:

I always have several books going at the same time:  something about Christian life, the Bible, the saints, sports, country living, or even an adventure. I just finished Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium
which I found very inspiring and challenging.  I’m also reading a book about the legacy of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and a book about garden history, which is about landscape design (and includes many beautiful photos!).

My favorite book:

Although I have many “favorites,” books that have had the most profound impact on me are the Diary of St. Faustina; Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux,
; and Give Me a Living Wordby Jean Lafrance. 

But if I had to choose one all-time favorite, I would go with the novel Mr. Blue
by Myles Connolly.  While primary about the interesting life of the title character, the book also includes a wonderful idea “Mr. Blue” has for a movie–a futuristic movie that highlights perfectly the joy of the priesthood and the true power of the Mass.

Meet a Book Group: St. Paul’s Tuesday Morning Book Group

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Do you have a New Year’s Resolution to read more? What about joining or starting a book group? This month, instead of featuring a “reader,” the book page of the print edition of The Catholic Post features a book group active in the Western portion of the diocese. If you are in the Peoria diocese and would like to share your love of reading (or your book group’s love of reading!), leave a comment here. I’m truly grateful for Donella Anderson of the book group for reaching out to me to have the group featured, and I’m always looking for new readers to feature.

St. Paul Book Group

(seated, l to r): Msgr. Richard Pricco and Bill Maakestad; and (standing, l to r):Donella Anderson, Andrea Williams, Vicky Looman, Annie VonTom, Deacon Larry Adams and Gloria Hurh. Absent: Sister Janice Keenan, OSF

How you know us:  

We are nine Catholics; eight parishioners of St. Paul Parish, Macomb, and one Director of St. Francis of Assisi Newman Center, Western IL University; six women and three men; one ordained priest, one ordained deacon, one consecrated religious and six laypersons. We range in age from 40s to 70s.  Some of us were raised Catholic; some not.  Some of us remember the church before Vatican II; some do not.

Our group was started in 2002 by Linda Jani, who was our unofficial but revered leader until a move to Indiana last year. We wondered if we could continue as a group without her, but came to realize it would do her a disservice if we did not continue.  So we carry on, but she has definitely been our inspiration.

All of us have been inspired to read books we certainly would not otherwise have chosen.  We rarely all have the same insights from what we read, and we are the richer for it. After all, as my father used to say, where everyone thinks alike, no one thinks very much!

Why we love reading (various member responses):

…I can enter into the mind of another, but at my own pace. I love fiction because it takes me into another world; and I love non-fiction because it stretches my understanding of my world.

….So much of our modern cultural–and, too often, religious–influences tend to encourage boundaries which create stereotypes, encourage “otherness,” and end up feeding our egos. Reading a wide range of good literature can challenge us to think and understand more deeply, and in the process become more human.

…I read non-fiction  to broaden my knowledge and fiction to relax,refresh and escape.

What I’m reading now (various member responses):  

…The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton because I keep finding authors I love who have been inspired by him, and this book, in particular.  I’m drawn to the concept of being a contemplative in the world.

…Will D. Campbell’s Brother to a Dragonfly, a memoir by a man raised in the deep South who became a minister and perhaps the most influential white advisor during the early years of the Civil Rights movement.  The book is also a deeply moving memorial to his brother.

…two fiction books now. One by J.A. Jance and  the other by Janet Evanovich.

Our favorite (reading group) books (various member responses) :

…The Holy Longing by Ronald Rollheiser, OMI qualifies.

…The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin, SJ.  Reading that book has inspired me to “find God in everything!”

…People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.  It made me appreciate more our rich shared heritage with our Hebrew elder-brothers and sisters in faith.

…Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains (about physician Paul Farmer).

… Louise Erdich’s The Round House