Reading Catholic

Reading Catholic and catholic

Meet a Reader

Meet a Reader: Peg Gardner

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“Meet a Reader” is a feature of the book page of the print Catholic Post each month, highlighting someone in the diocese of Peoria who loves reading.  This month’s reader is a mom and grandmother, who has developed a passion for sharing the faith.
How we know you:  I’ve been a member of Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal, for more than 20 years.  I’ve been active as an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister, member of Altar and Rosary, Servants of the Shepherd, volunteer for lunchroom duty at the grade school and team lead for the cleaning of the Sanctuary. My husband Gregg and I have three children and two grandchildren.
Why I love reading:  For many years after school, I read only a smattering of books.  But some years ago, I began to crave more knowledge of our Church, and my reading was focused on the Church and her saints.  As they say when you’re courting, the more you know about someone the more readily you may fall in love with them.  All my time reading helped me to love our God and His Holy Catholic Church much more.
What I am reading now:  A recent passion of my is learning why young people lose their faith at college, and helping them stay true to the Faith.  To be aware of and be knowledgeable enough to answer these “newly educated” students and graduates, I sought the advice of our pastor, Monsignor Eric Powell. One book he suggested is The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief  by noted genome scientist Francis Collins.  So far, I love this book and feel it will give me a good base of knowledge when completed.    I’m also reading Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues by Father Robert Spitzer, S.J. 
My favorite book:  I would have to say that The Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux’s autobiography, is one of my favorites, and the other is The Cure of Ars by Father Bartholomew O’Brien.  Both books have touched my heart so much, I am forever changed and will never be the same.

Meet a Reader: Lee Hall

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You may notice that the blog (and the book page in the print Catholic Post), has something of a sports theme going this month.  I’ve reviewed Alberto Salazar’s powerful memoir, 14 Minutes: A Running Legend’s Life and Death and Life.  Also this month on the book page, and here, “Meet a Reader” features local sportscaster Lee Hall. 
Hall not just a local on-air personality (at WEEK-TV), but also a tireless champion of the St. Jude Memphis-to-Peoria Run, which over the years has raised more than $22 million for St. Jude and its Peoria affiliate.   Hall has been part of the Run for 25 years, and shows that he is not just a “reader,” but a writer, having written–as a labor of love–the recent Running for Their Lives: The St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run.
Running for Their Livesis a thorough account all about the Run and its many personalities, interspersed with stories of patients and their families.   Hall says that the annual August 465-mile, four-day run is “part athletic endurance event, part summer camp, and part encounter group.”  It’s a lot of ground to cover, and Hall manages to share stories ranging from touching to silly about run personalities, St. Jude patients & their families who touch lives forever, some of whom go onto become longtime St. Jude runners. 
Hall’s dedication, like those of all St. Jude Runners, is heartfelt and deserves our praise and support, as Former Peoria Mayor Jim Maloof writes in his foreword to Running for Their Lives.  Maloof himself is the original St. Jude champion, since he brought the St. Jude affiliate to Peoria many years ago.
 
My thanks to Lee for being such a great “Reader” this month!
 
 
Meet a Reader:  Lee Hall
 How you know me:  
I have been Sports Director at WEEK-TV since 1988, where I started as an intern in 1984.   I’m also in the IHSA Network, where I do play-by-play and sideline reporting.
I’m a member of Blessed Sacrament Church in Morton, where my four children have all attended and played sports, so many people may have seen me in your parish gym at one time or another.
Why I love reading:
You might was as well ask why I like breathing. Reading has been a huge part of my life since I was a young boy. My Mom & Dad both grew up during the Depression and didn’t get as much education as they would have liked, so they encouraged me to read and study. They didn’t have to push too much on the reading part. I loved reading about Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln and other real-life heroes. Non-fiction and biographies continue to dominate my interests.
What I’m reading now:
I am currently reading a couple of sports books: Landry’s Boys: An Oral History of a Team and an Era by Peter Golenbock and Where’s Harry?: Steve Stone Remembers 25 Years with Harry Caray by Steve Stone and Barry Rozner.
Landry’s Boys is a history of the Dallas Cowboys organization. I have been a fan since the Roger Staubach days and find the behind-the-scenes fascinating.  I love Where’s Harry? because I miss Harry Caray terribly.  He made baseball games into an event.
I recently finished The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence by Gerald Blaine, Lisa McCubbin and Clint Hill.  Anything Kennedy, Lincoln, or Civil War related is right up my alley.
I also read from Jesus Calling everyday. Its daily readings are Scripture-based, but written in modern English. I happened upon the book while trying to market my own book, Running for Their Lives, and it has changed my life!
My favorite books:
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of my favorite books of all time. It documents how President Lincoln formed his rivals for the Republican nomination into a wartime cabinet, convincing them to put their personal interests aside for the country’s best interests. If only today’s politicians could do the same!
Another favorite is Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, chronicling the story of a college graduate from a wealthy family who turns his back on that lifestyle to live off the land.

Meet a Reader: Sharon Weiss

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I‘m delighted to feature this month a longtime friend, Dr. Sharon Weiss. Many thanks, Sharon, for sharing your love of reading here!

How You Know Me:   Readers would know me because of my connection to Catholic schools.  I am celebrating my 33rd year in Catholic education where I was a French and German teacher at Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute.  When the schools consolidated in 1989 and became PND, I taught French, German, & Psychology and was a freshman/sophomore counselor. In 2003, I was hired as the Principal at St. Patrick School in Washington.  I thoroughly enjoy this leadership role as I am able to maintain focus on faith formation and a strong curriculum for our children and the families we serve.

My parish is St. Patrick Church in Washington, where I have been a member for 2 years.  Previouisly, I was a member of St. Peter’s Church in Peoria where I worshipped after my reception into the Catholic Faith in 1993 until I became a member of St. Pat’s.

My most cherished and primary vocation is mother and grandmother:  I have a son, David, and a grandson, Gabriel.  They are my joy!  I thank God for them each day as they are His love letter to me.

Why I love reading:


I have always loved reading!  When I am reading for enjoyment, it expands the imaginative and creative side of me.  When I read for professional development, it helps me to stay current on best practices in education in order to ensure academic excellence.  When I read for spiritual growth, it reminds me of my vocation and service to Christ and His Church.

What I’m reading now:

I have been reading The Four Teresas by Gina Loehr.  The four Teresas– Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Mother Teresa–are all beautiful examples of women who loved God with their whole hearts, minds and souls.  I read little parts of the book when I am in front of the Blessed Sacrament and ask our Lord to teach me how to imitate these holy women in my personal and professional life.

For enjoyment, I just completed The Hunger Games triology!  WOW!  I found the cultural premise of these books fascinating, and I was amazed at how many of my junior high students have read them!  I have enjoyed discussing these books with some of the students.

My favorite book:

My all-time favorite book has been and continues to be Jane Eyre.  Its theme of redemptive love is powerful and hopeful.

Meet a Reader: Deacon George Geagea

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I’m delighted to feature as a “reader” this month Deacon George Geagea.  Thank you so much, Deacon, for agreeing to be featured this month. 
 
 
 
How you know me:
I’m Deacon George Geagea, a deacon at St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Peoria.  I have been married for 30 years to my wife Najeebe, and we have 5 children—Jeanette, Nadia, Amanda, Gabriel and Rachel.  I work as the chief administration officer at Illinois Neurological Institute.  I was born and raised in Lebanon, and moved to central Illinois at the age of 18.
Why I love reading:
Reading makes me use my imagination and helps me get into the mind of the author, helps me gain different perspectives of issues and expands my thinking.  Genres I enjoy reading include spiritual and inspirational books and self-improvement books.
What I’m currently reading:
I am currently reading a book by Fr. Larry Richards titled Be A Man! Becoming The Man God Created You To Be.  He has a simple, yet profound, message to Catholic men about how to experience the real presence of God in our daily lives.
My favorite books:
I have two favorite recent reads.  The one that really captured my imagination and made me think at a deeper level was Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI.  This book differentiates between the historic Jesus and the person Jesus who lives forever.
Another recent favorite is Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to the Abundant Christian Life by Father Raniero Cantalamessa.  Fr. Cantalamessa is preacher to the papal household, and it is an excellent read.  In Contemplating the Trinity, Father Cantalamessa looks at the Trinity from multiple dimensions, such as the Trinity and beauty, or the Trinity and love, and goes deep into the mystery of the Trinity and its relationship to humanity.

The Best Thing About the Behold Conference … Part 1

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to me, was the adoration chapel, set up by several beautiful volunteers at the Behold Conference.   The chapel was a peaceful oasis in the bustle of a truly wonderful day.  Time spent there was precious to me, and to many women who were at Behold. 
But there were so many other great things from the Behold weekend.  The other night, I gathered with other volunteer Behold directors to go over the evaluation forms.  We found that many women listed “more time” for all the things there were to do at Behold–adoration, confession, talks, great food, vendors, meeting people.
Allow me share some other favorites from the Behold weekend:
My role this year with Behold (in previous years I was just a driver), was to organize the “Meet the Bloggers” part of the conference.  “Team Blogger” as the five volunteers in this area called ourselves, put together a great slate of bloggers and guests to attend a “Blogger Summit” the Friday night before the conference to discuss Catholic women and new media.  It was a great discussion with lots of input from so many voices.  Here are a few photos from the blogger summit and a Behold volunteer/special guest reception afterwards (my phone, unfortunately, only sporadically taking decent photos).  I’m going to have to save the photos of the Behold day for another post:
The Sisters of Life (and teenager Molly, their driver, who was a great young voice at the summit).
Behold Executive Director Rose Rudolph addressing the summit.
Blogger Sister Helena Burns getting a big laugh as she filmed the room during the blogger summit.  The very funny video of that can be found here.
Bloggers Sarah Reinhard, Cat Hodge, and Elizabeth Duffy

Blogger Mary Hasson with yours truly.
Two lovely blogger ladies–Hallie Lord and Bonnie Engstrom meeting in person for the first time!
Singer Marie Miller with a group of her younger superfans (as opposed to me, more mature superfan!)
Blogger Emily Stimpson meeting fellow blogger (and “Team Blogger” member) Marcia.
Blogger Jen Fulwiler and local blogger Jamie getting to meet again.
Team Blogger member Linda with blogger Sister Helena Burns
Blogger Arwen Mosher brought her sweet 10-month-old twin boys (and had help all weekend from a great friend, here in green).
More photos to come!

Meet a Reader: Emily Stimpson

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This month’s “reader” is an author with local roots.  My review of her new book is in the current print Catholic Post  Thanks, Emily!  I look forward to meeting you at the Behold Conference in just a few days.
 
 
 
How you know me: I’m a contributing editor to “Our Sunday Visitor,” a blogger for CatholicVote, and the author of The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years. Although I now live just outside of Pittsburgh (in Steubenville, Ohio), I was born and raised in Rock Island, attended Jordan Catholic School, and go to Mass at St. Mary’s Parish when I’m home visiting my parents, Gary and Ricki Stimpson. Most of my family still lives in the Peoria diocese, including my second cousin Adam, who is parochial vicar for three parishes in LaSalle, and my aunt Susie Budde, who directs choirs for both Sacred Heart Rock Island and Sacred Heart Moline.
Why I love reading: Story-telling, at its best, is truth-telling. A good story gives flesh to all that’s beautiful and true. That helps us discover worlds and ideas beyond our imagining. It also helps us discover much more familiar territory: the human heart.
What I’m reading now:  It’s Lent, so I’ve had to lay aside the Agatha Christie murder mystery I was reading and pick up my normal Lenten fare, Dante’s Divine Comedy. Every Lent my goal is to make it all the way from the beginning of Dante and Virgil’s tour through Hell in the Infernoto Dante’s reunion with his lost love Beatrice in the Paradiso. That literary journey helps me understand the journey every soul is on in this life. It also reminds me why we Catholics do what we do during Lent—what all that praying, fasting, and sacrificing is about.
My favorite book: I love too many books to pick just one, so I always tell people I have favorite authors more than favorite books, writers who’ve changed the way I see the world and the life I’m living. At the top of that list are C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and John Paul II: Lewis for his clarity, Chesterton for his sense of wonder, and John Paul II for his theology of the body, which is really an articulation of the Incarnation and what it means to be a human person. If I had to add one more, it would be P.G. Wodehouse: He’s a master of wit and words. A regular dose of his work keeps my writing sharp, quick, and tight.