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The Miracle in Bonnie Engstrom’s Awe-Inspiring Book is (Very) Local

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Following is my column that appears in the current print edition of The Catholic Post.

Bonnie Engstrom’s new book is literally awe-inspiring.

61 Minutes to a Miracle: Fulton Sheen and a True Story of the Impossible is part page-turning medical mystery story; part spiritual memoir, about faith, acceptance, and openness to the Holy Spirit; and part primer on the fascinating process of “saint-making” in the church.

“61 Minutes to a Miracle” is— true to its title—about Engstrom’s son James, who was born without a heartbeat and remained so for 61 minutes. Miraculously, he also did not suffer any brain damage or lasting effects from the trauma of his birth. The Engstrom family, friends, and people worldwide prayed for the intercession of Venerable Fulton Sheen, a Peoria diocese native, to heal James. Vatican approval of that miracle paved the way for Bishop Sheen’s beatification.

Full disclosure: at the time the miracle happened, I knew and had worked with Engstrom on several projects. We lived in nearby towns, so I got updates in real time as it was happening. So to read the amazing events in book form, told in Engstrom’s engaging voice, was both a bit of “deja vu” and a wonderful way to relive that incredible time.

There have been a few times when I have relatively close knowledge of something described in a book or online, and it irks me when details are changed. I understand why sometimes the narrative flow of a story means times might be conflated together or some details changed, but I still find it bothersome.

That is most certainly NOT the case for 61 Minutes to a Miracle. Everything is written exactly as it happened, as I heard about the story through Engstrom herself and many other local sources at the time. And because the events described are so amazing, it is reassuring to have minor (and of course major) details be accurate.

The honesty of the book is perhaps because, as described in 61 Minutes to a Miracle, the Engstrom family went through the process of the cause for beatification and canonization of Fulton Sheen. In those proceedings, literal truth is needed, and those interviewed in the case have to testify and swear that they are telling the truth.

But the book is not just a dry accounting of the medical facts or specific chronology. Because Engstrom writes in such a natural, candid voice, this book becomes a way for readers to join in the spiritual pilgrimage of the Engstrom family, and all those around them, as they experienced life, pregnancy, learning about saints, losing a child and then gaining him back, and just living life well.

How they managed to walk through this harrowing experience, through the grace of God, the help of their friends, family, and medical team, is the center of this book.

Probably my favorite part of 61 Minutes to a Miracle is how Engstrom likens her son James’ story with that of Lazarus from the Gospel of John. That is partially because the raising of Lazarus is replete with so many details to meditate on related to the mystery of life and death. And it may also be because I love St. Martha dearly, and her profession of faith (“You are the Christ, the Son of God”) to Jesus when he came to raise Lazarus is a particularly poignant moment in the life of Jesus.

It is also lovely that the miracle leading to Sheen’s beatification should not only occur in his home diocese, but also that Sheen, one of the most media-savvy people of his time, should intercede in a case whose prayer requests spread widely due to media. That is, specifically, social media, as Engstrom is a popular blogger and active online in Catholic spheres.

It is a kind of “virtuous circle” for Sheen to reach out to Engstrom in the healing of James, and Engstrom honors Sheen and makes him even more well known because of the miracle.

As Engstrom writes about why the miracle would have happened in their family, “It was Jesus Christ who brought James Fulton back to life. It was Christ’s death and resurrection that conquered death once and for all. I do not know why it happened this way. The only answer I can give is probably the only answer I should be concerned with: the glory of God.”

Reading 61 Minutes to a Miracle helps the reader explore the mystery of why miracles happen; how God can move in the hearts and lives of everyone; and how intercession to the saints is good for us and for our world.

What Moms Need {My May column @TheCatholicPost }

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Following is my column that appears in the current print edition of The Catholic Post.

More than a decade ago, as a younger homeschooling mom, I became enchanted with the concept of the “Rule of Six,” coined by homeschooling mom and author Melissa Wiley.

Wiley suggested six things that every child should have access to every day: good books; imaginative play; encounters with beauty (art, music, the natural world); ideas to ponder and discuss; meaningful work; and prayer.

I remember thinking at the time that moms need all those things too, and how great it would be to try to incorporate them. But that can be so difficult in our fast-paced world, even more so for moms than for children.

In our incarnational Catholic life, we have an advantage in achieving nearly all of those areas. And two new books for moms offer ideas to ponder and discuss, in the context of prayer and the beauty of our faith.

Good Enough is Good Enough: Confessions of an Imperfect Catholic Mom by Colleen Duggan is a well-written, supportive, and realistic look at Catholic motherhood.

Duggan, a longtime writer for several Catholic websites and publications, writes about the value of self-care, the danger of judging, and the importance of an active prayer life, among other values, to mothers of all kinds, especially younger mothers.

The center of the book, is, of course, the five “confessions” in which Duggan explains each: “I don’t know how to master motherhood;” “I don’t always take care of myself as I should”; “I don’t know how to keep my kids Catholic”; I don’t like watching my children suffer,” and “I sometimes compare myself with other parents.”

What mother, or what parent, has not felt one of these “confessions,” sometimes all at once? Duggan’s relatable stories, failings (she writes, “I was never the poster woman for serenity before I had children …”), and how she works to accept herself is refreshing and encouraging for all moms. And viewing those through the lens of faith is both poignant and edifying.

For instance, the conclusion, in which Duggan describes “the theology of the donkey,” and how the humble donkey was called to do great things:

“(This) is the lesson of the donkey for me, for all of us: Jesus wants us, the loud, braying, imperfect asses we are, to go where he calls us. He wants us to carry this his load, to do the work of bringing others to him; and we can only compete this task, of course, if we abandon our “perfect” plans and the baggage that weighs us down. We must learn—just like that donkey did—to submit ourselves to him.”

Each chapter ends with a closing prayer, and a short list of discussion questions to allow for personal reflection or for group reading. These are great questions to ponder, or even if not in a formal group to read together, to discuss with fellow moms.

For new and expectant moms—and not just first-time moms—there is  Made for This: The Catholic Mom’s Guide to Birth  by Mary Haseltine.

 When I was pregnant with our first, and my husband and I were just a “teeny bit” nervous about .. oh, everything related to pregnancy and birth, especially not being able to see our baby … I had a conversation with a friend in which I actually said— and meant— the words, “I can’t wait until this baby is born so we can stop worrying.”

She very kindly, but loudly, laughed in my face, as birth marks the beginning of a lifetime of care and concern for your children. There’s a saying that to become a mother is to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

When I was expecting many years ago, I had such concerns about pregnancy and birth that I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting and tried to follow all of its recommendations. Online advice was blessedly not very available, but if it had back then I’m sure I would have read tons of blog posts and mommy blogs so I’d know just what to expect and how to handle every possible thing that could happen to me or my baby.

But what I really needed was a more holistic resource, to help me cope with not just the physical changes that my body was undergoing, but the miracle that is pregnancy and motherhood, and how that changes everything about one’s life, marriage, and spirituality.

How I wish I had had a book that looked basically like Made for This.

This book, by a theologian and birth doula (non-medical helper who assists a mother during pregnancy and labor), offers so much of what my first-time fears needed to hear. It also provides a wider scope—for moms of all kinds, not just first-time parents— for understanding the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual challenges that pregnancy and motherhood entails.

Sensibly, the book is its even-handed approach to all kinds of approaches to pregnancy, labor, and birth, instead of a “one size fits all” plan of how one “must” bring a baby into the world. There is no one, specific, Catholic way to be pregnant and birth children.

Some especially good chapters in Made for This include “The Birth of a Father,” “Your Birth Team,” and the lovely “Born in Grace: Birth Stories from Catholic Moms.”

Haseltine writes in the introduction, “May you and your baby be blessed with a healthy, happy, and yes, holy birth.” “Made for This” is a book that goes a long way towards making that happen.

God’s Work, No Matter the Circumstances {My July Column @TheCatholicPost}

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Following is my July column that appears in this issue of the print edition of  The Catholic Post.

I ran into a friend at Aldi the other day, and so I asked about her husband’s struggle with cancer. She outlined his progress, and also shared that their family has agreed, yet again, to be foster parents, this time to a sibling pair. When I expressed my admiration, her reply was, “We believe it is God’s work.” Did I mention her husband has cancer? I told her, “The way you live your whole life is God’s work.”

Seeing fellow Christians living in such a radically open and generous way is very humbling for an average believer like me. And yet when I want to feel discouraged about my lack of heroic actions, I recall that for all of us, our whole life is God’s work, even in the “small things” we do.

That is why it was ennobling to read a book about ordinary Christians doing extraordinary things in The Priest Barracks: Dachau, 1938-1945 by Guillaume Zeller, translated from the French by Michael J. Miller. It makes reader ponder, as one should every day, “How can I make my life more God’s work?”

The Priest Barracks tells the little-known story of the thousands of Catholic priests, seminarians, and non-Catholic clergy who lived and often died in the brutal conditions of the prototype among concentration camps, Dachau, in southeastern Germany. At first it was only German priests who were detained. Eventually, a variety of clergy, from members of the Resistance to priests who made modest statements in their sermons, from countries throughout Europe, were largely centralized into three large barracks at Dachau.

The gripping account of the lives of priests in the KZ (the German initials for concentration camp), living the Catholic faith, ministering to fellow prisoners, and maintaining humanity, is woven throughout this well-researched and fact-filled book.

Obviously, the conditions were horrific. And yet, the men endured, amid successes and failures—it wasn’t all perfect, but the priests, including at least two bishops, formed a kind of community that transcended nationality, religious order, Christian denomination, and spiritual temperament.

The Priest Barracks is divided into three sections of six to seven chapters each. First is “A Camp for Priests,” which outlines how the Dachau concentration camp was founded, and then later how it came to be a repository for clergy from all over Europe. Second is “O Land of Distress,” which details many of the horrific conditions, including hunger, death, typhus, and medical experiments. Third is “A Spiritual Home,” which outlines how sacramental life was lived, how the Eucharist existed even in the camp, and relates the improbable and nearly miraculous ordination of a dying seminarian in one of the barracks.

Each chapter begins with a Scripture verse related to its theme. So, for instance, in the chapter, “Anti-Christian Hatred,” is Matthew 5:11: “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

Most moving was the account in the “Sacramental Life” chapter on the secret ordination of Father Karl Leisner, a seminarian who, dying from tuberculosis, was ordained through the sacrifices and tactics of the clergy and their fellow prisoners, from the clergy who fashioned his vestments and the bishop’s mitre with cast-off fabric, to the Jewish musicians who played violins outside the barrack to distract the German soldiers from the ceremony. Bishop Gabriel Piguet, a resident of the camp, performed the ordination; as he wrote later, “Truly, in a place where the priesthood has been utterly humiliated and where it was supposed to be exterminated, divine revenge has been striking: one more priest had been born to the priesthood of Christ.”

Probably the finest chapter is “The Fruits of Dachau,” as Zeller outlines the lasting legacy of the priests’ time in Dachau: the importance of unity among the clergy, despite their various orders, nationalities, and practices; the presence of a healthy ecumenism among religions in the camp; how the apostolate of service was lived out; and how the clergy promoted the fundamental dignity of the human person, despite the conditions.

I was inspired to read The Priest Barracks after re-reading earlier this summer the classic He Leadeth Me, Fr. Walter Ciszek’s spiritual autobiography, including his harrowing years as a political prisoner in World War II-era and post-war Russia.


His successes and failures of faith, of perseverance, make the word “inspiring” an understatement. He Leadeth Me is for anyone who seeks to live a Christian life, but who feels unprepared for the task. Fr. Ciszek’s story shows us that “keeping on” and never giving up, is the important quality of the Christian life, all through the lens of the persecution he experienced.

In a similar way, The Priest Barracks offers inspiration for the average Christian, not because of the heroic feats of the clergy imprisoned there—and there were many— but in how normal they were, and yet how much good they could do, bit by bit, day by day.

It may be essentially zero chance that any of us will have to endure the conditions these brave clergy did, or have the opportunity to be heroic in the way they did. And yet, we, all of us, need to go “God’s work” with our lives, day by day. Learning how these ordinary Christians lived their faith can enkindle in us a desire to do the good we can every day.

Meet a Reader: Pamela Suresca {@TheCatholicPost}

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Following is the “Meet a Reader” feature that appears on the book page of the current print issue of The Catholic Post.

How we know you:

In August I will celebrate two years of being a part of the Peoria Diocesan family. I proudly work for Students for Life of Illinois by building a culture of Life on college campuses all around IL. Currently serving University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as their Campus Mentor in the St. John’s Catholic Newman Center and am a parishioner at St. Matthews in Champaign IL.

Why I love reading:

Reading is a gift. I read to encounter.

Books are always inspired by some-one, some-thing, or some-time. We write to share knowledge, reflect, and imagine. There is always a muse, an inspiration. Each writer has a voice and deep perspective. It is through reading that allows us to sneak a peek at life through another person’s lens.

I am always looking for spiritual readings and books or essays that will help me grow in my Catholic Faith. It is through these writings where words do not just stay on the page but inspire a physical extension of self- a call to action. Some of my favorite reads have dramatically changed my life from the inside out.

What I’m reading now:

“The woman’s soul is fashioned as a shelter in which other souls may unfold.”- Edith Stein

I’ve been on reading marathon dealing with any and all books on women. If it isn’t a book, it is an essay, if it isn’t an essay its an article, if it isn’t an article is a reflection, if it isn’t a reflection, it my old journal entries. I do this quite often these days ;).

But right now I am currently reading Essays on Women by Edith Stein later known as St. Teresa Benedicta. As a young catholic woman I adore the writings and reflections of Edith Stein. She has a rawness to life and a deep wisdom of the Church. Her writings are truly a gift to women for they highlight the very gift we are women and the crucial role we play in the church, home, and society.

My favorite book:

Every book has a season and every season I have a new favorite. In this season my favorite book is Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves by Helen Alvare.


After hearing her speak at the Given 2016 Forum in CUA (Catholic University of America) I knew I had to get my hands on this book. She highlights the daily struggles Catholic women face in this 21st Century. Each chapter is a new woman with a new story, new wounds, new cross, and new victory.

Pencil in the Hand: “A Call to Mercy” Offers Insight on Mother Teresa’s “Lived Theology”

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braceyourselves

This month’s column for The Catholic Post is one of my series this year on “Year of Mercy” books.

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One of my favorite songs of the band Popple, the self-described “Catholic acoustic humor folk beard rock duo” is called “Pencil in the Hand,” and it is based on the quote of Mother Teresa.   

That’s why I was dismayed to read that it was a “significantly paraphrased” quote of hers. Could this be true?

I am the first one to be skeptical of quotes attributed to famous people.  (And a Peoria diocesan priest, Father Geoff Horton, has a clever blog to debunk such “fauxtations”). That’s summed up in a clever t-shirt in the gift shop the Peoria Airport gift shop: an image of Abraham Lincoln and the words “Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet —Abraham Lincoln.”

It looked a little something like this:

true-pr-quotes-from-us-presidents-and-one-thats-fake-by-prdotco-4-638

But this Mother Teresa one seemed true, and it also had a song to go with it. A little more digging (thank you, Internet) discovered that she did say the essential lines of the quote.  In a 1989 Time interview, Mother Teresa said:

“I’m like a little pencil in His hand. That’s all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used.”

It’s so interesting that Mother Teresa, who was canonized on September 4 (earlier this week), used a writing imagery to describe God’s work in our lives.  One of her earlier books is a day book published in 1986 and titled, Jesus, The Word to be Spoken: Prayers & Meditations for Every Day of the Year.

Yet what’s most compelling about Mother Teresa is not the words that she spoke, but the way she lived her life in service to the poorest of the poor.

So why read a book about her life? Two reasons: one, to understand the context in which she lived her vocation and her love of Jesus, as well as the Gospel message, and two, to be inspired to live that out in some way in our own lives.  Mother Teresa in many ways symbolizes the works of mercy, and so it’s particularly appropriate that she is being canonized towards the end of this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

An important new book stresses this mercy perspective in her life.

A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve, is edited and with an introduction by Brian Kolodiejchuk, MC.

As Fr. Kolodiejchuk, the postulator for the cause of her canonization, writes in the introduction: “In Mother Teresa ‘s life, as in the lives of many saints, we are offered a lived theology.”

This “lived theology” is evident in A Call to Mercy, as each of the 14 chapters is titled with the work of mercy, both corporal and spiritual.  For each work of mercy, the chapter offers five elements: a short introduction of how Mother Teresa lived the work; a section of “her words,” including excerpts from speeches, letters, and interviews; “her example: the testimonies” with numerous quotes from those who were involved in her work, from fellow Missionaries of Charity and others; a reflection for personal use; and a prayer, which are chosen from prayers that Mother Teresa  had a devotion to or herself wrote.

A Call to Mercy is a treasure for any reader who would like to understand Mother Teresa and her work better, as well as contemplate her life and the ways in which an “average person” can live those out.  It’s also an excellent way to continue a focus on mercy as the Jubilee Year of Mercy enters its final months.

I have enjoyed and read many other books by Mother Teresa and about her, and I could fill a year of columns with excellent sources.

But to celebrate her canonization this month, I recommend three other works that capture her life, her personality, and her spirituality in total.

First is the award-winning 1986 Mother Teresa, the finest documentary or video of any kind about Mother’s life or work.  It was produced by sisters Ann and Jeannette Petrie, and has never been equalled for impact or beauty. 

Second is the coffee-table book, Works of Love are Works of Peace, by photographer Michael Collopy. The 1996 book has been recently republished in an affordable softcover, and contains dozens of luminous photos of Mother Teresa, her homes around the world, and the people she and her community serve.

Third is the small volume by British writer Malcolm Muggeridge, Something Beautiful for God.  It is a beautifully written and captivating portrait of Mother Teresa’s life, as well as Malcolm Muggeridge’s own faith journey as a recent Christian. When he wrote the book in 1971, he was not yet Catholic, but a recent Christian, having lived most of his life as an agnostic.  The shortness of the book and simple vignettes of her life make it a classic.

The Right Kind of Encouragement for Family Life {my July column @TheCatholicPost}

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Following is my July book review column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of The Catholic Post.

To be honest, I sometimes get irritated at the topics or titles of books because of the potential hubris involved.

“The Best and Only Diet for Everyone. “The One Fool-Proof Way to Get Your Baby to Sleep.” “Have a Perfectly Organized House in 3 Hours or Less.” These aren’t real book titles, but could be, because we all recognize something similar in books or articles out there.

Maybe that’s because the more I live, the less convinced I am that there is ONE WAY to do any one thing. Think you have it all figured out? You probably don’t. Even if an author has expertise in a field, the most effective books will inspire people with gentle guidance and information, and encourage people.

That’s why I appreciate three newer books that offer a tremendous amount of sensible advice and encouragement for three stages of life—wedding, childbirth, and child-raising— with none of the guilt or stress that can vex readers. If you’re in one of these stages of life, or know someone who is, these books are first-rate.

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Like many women, I have always enjoyed bridal magazines and seeing the fun crafts, food, and other details that go into wedding planning.

The lovely book  Invited: The Ultimate Catholic Wedding Planner by Stephanie Calis, provides a Catholic perspective on these topics.

The first half of Invited focuses on the practical, complete with checklists for budgeting, other marriage prep and ideas, the Mass, and the reception. The latter chapters are a very gentle, very well-put, explanation of Catholic teaching on various areas related to marriage and the wedding, from “holding on to your sanity” to starting your life together.

Particularly strong were the chapters on beauty, inspiring women to have a healthy sense of beauty without going overboard or playing the “comparison game” too much; and what Calis terms “the sex chapter,” a sensitive and thorough explanation,rooted in the Theology of the Body, of Catholic teaching on sexuality. Calis’ husband Andrew writes periodic “from the groom” sections providing a male view of things.

Each chapter ends with a “for conversation” paragraph meant to spark healthy discussion between bride & groom.

Invited would make an excellent gift for a recently engaged couple.

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The Gift of Birth: Discerning God’s Presence During Childbirth by Susan Windley-Daoust is like a motherhood retreat, for both expectant and new moms, and even moms of any age.

Theologian and mother of five Windley-Daoust has written a personal, Catholic, and realistic look at the process of birthing, both normal and not-so-normal circumstances. Her writing style is theological, but with a mother’s heart. She shares some of her own birth stories, as well as those of many others. The book is suffused with the spiritual as well as physical, emotional, and practical aspects of childbirth.

Though the title may make it seem like it’s for the title, it’s not just for pregnant moms or moms of young ones.

I thought I would be less interested or affected by this book, since it’s been more than a decade since I have had a baby. But I found as I read that it was both lovely and healing to reflect back in a spiritual way, my own experiences of giving birth. The Gift of Birth offers space for moms to reflect and consider the awesome things, the good things and the less-than-great things that happen during pregnancy and childbirth.

The Gift of Birth spans four sections: “The Theology of the Body and Childbirth,” “Reading the Signs of Birth,” “When Childbearing is Difficult, Where is God?”, and “Seeking the Holy Spirit in Birth Stories.” It’s hard to pick a favorite section, but the chapters of “Reading the Signs of Birth” follow the progression of labor and birth, and the spiritual meaning present. The range of birth stories shared in “Seeking the Holy Spirit in Birth Stories” is both fascinating and prayerful as eight women reflect on giving birth in their own lives.

Obviously, a book like The Gift of Birth would be ideal for an expectant mom, but would also be excellent for women of any age.

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Once-local author Marc Cardaronella, who previously worked in evangelization in the diocese of Peoria, has written a remarkable new book called, Keep Your Kids Catholic: Sharing Your Faith and Making It Stick. [Cardaronella is now director of the Bishop Helmsing Institute for Faith Formation at the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph, Missouri.]

The title of Keep Your Kids Catholic gave me the most worry, since any kind of parenting book or advice always strikes fear and sometimes amusement into the heart of many parents, myself included. Perhaps it’s because I, like so many others before me, vowed when I didn’t have kids that I would parent differently (and so much better) than all the parents I saw around me. You know, the statements like “my child will never eat candy before lunch” or “my children will never interrupt two grown-ups having a conversation.” Etc. And then you laugh at your younger self.

Keep Your Kids Catholic is by no means one of that kind of book. It could be titled, Keep Yourself Catholic more than anything else, since Cardaronella stresses the importance of personal witness and a vibrant Catholic home environment as being vital to fostering faith among young people.

The book is divided into four sections, all leading towards encouraging young people to explicitly embrace the Catholic Faith as their own: “How Does Faith Work?”, “Is Your Own Faith Secure?”, “What Kind of an Education Fosters Faith?” and “How Do You Create An Environment of Faith?”

Cardaronella emphasizes two interconnected goals: one, as a parent, having a rich faith and prayer life; and two, having a strong relationship with your children, especially as they grow older. Those two features are also key for a healthy family atmosphere. He also covers the importance of strong mentoring relationships with others in teen and young adulthood years and having healthy relationships with a Catholic community in one’s parish, among families, and among children themselves. The maxim, “It takes a village,” is certainly relevant here.

Cardaronella combines his own story of reversion to the Catholic faith along with what he’s learned as a parent and catechist. He admits he is not an expert in child-raising, but Keep Your Kids Catholic provides ample good advice and information for parents everywhere.