I am a writer, artist, and homeschooling mom. Here you will find musings on life, readings, and a relationship with God. To add a RSS feed to this blog, go to http://feeds.feedburner.com/SpiritualWoman
Today bring to Me souls who have become lukewarm, and immerse
them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart post
painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of
Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out:
"Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will." For them, the
last hope of salvation is to flee to My mercy.
Most
compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls
into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your
pure love let those tepid souls, who like corpses, filled You with such
deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus,
exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor
of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing
is beyond Your power.
Fire and ice cannot be joine; Either the fire dies, or the ice melts. But by Your mercy, O God, You can make up for all that is lacking.
Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls, who are
nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of
Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His
three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your
Mercy.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to me the meek and humble souls and the souls of
little children, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely
resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw
them as earthly Angels, who would keep vigil at My altars. I pour out
upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is able to
receive My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
Most
Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek
and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate
Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These
souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's
favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God;
God himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a
permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they
unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
A truly gentle and humble soul already here on earth the air of paradise breathes, And in the fragrance of her humble heart The Creator Himself delights.
Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls, and upon
the souls of little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the
Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest
resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and
reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You
by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them:
Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises
of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood
cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by
Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to
bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My
Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments
they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the
spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.
Most
Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I
bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in
Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make
retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which
gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of the purifying fire,
that in that place, too, the power of Your mercy may be praised.
From that terrible heat of the cleansing fire Rises a plaint to Your mercy, And they receive comfort, refreshment, relief In the stream of mingled Blood and Water.
Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory,
who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by
the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with
which His most sacred Soul was flooded, manifest Your mercy to the
souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way
than through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son, for we firmly
believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to me the souls who especially venerate and glorify
My mercy, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over
My Passion and entered most deeply into My Spirit. They are living
images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special
brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of
hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of
death.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is
Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the
souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of
Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very poser of God Himself.
In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward,
confident of Your mercy. These souls are united to Jesus and carry all
mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but
Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
A soul who praises the goodness of her Lord Is especially loved by Him. She is always close to the living fountain And draws graces from Mercy Divine.
Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate
Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are
enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a
living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their spirit,
overflowing with joy, sings a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I
beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they
have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of
Jesus, who said to them, I Myself will defend as My own glory, during
their lifetime, and especially at the hour of their death, those souls
who will venerate My fathomless mercy.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to Me the souls of heretics and schismatics, and
immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they
tore at My Body and Heart; that is, My Church. As they return to unity
with the Church, My wounds heal, and in this way they alleviate My
Passion.
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness
Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive
into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of heretics
and schismatics. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church,
and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate
Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to extol the generosity
of Your mercy.
Even for those who have torn the garment of Your unity, A fount of mercy flows from Your Heart. The omnipotence of Your mercy, Oh God. Can lead these souls also out of error.
Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of heretics and
schismatics, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces
by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their
errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion,
which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in the
Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Bring it about that they also may
glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to Me the pagans and those who do not yet know Me, I
was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future
zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.
Most
compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole word. Receive into
the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of pagans who as
yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that
they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not
let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
May the light of Your love Enlighten the souls in darkness; Grant that these souls will know You And, together with us, praise Your mercy. Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of pagans and of those
who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most
Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel.
These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant
that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages.
Amen.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to Me all devout and faithful souls, and immerse
them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought Me consolation on the
Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an
ocean of bitterness. Most merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy You impart Your
graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of
Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg
this of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with
which Your Heart burns so fiercely. The miracles of mercy are impenetrable. Neither the sinner no just one with fathom them. When you cast upon us an eye of pity, You draw us all closer to Your love. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon
the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant
protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the
holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may
they glorify your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Today bring to me the souls of priests and religious, and
immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me the
strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them, as through channels,
My mercy flows out upon mankind.
Most
Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in
us, that we may perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see
them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
The fountain of God's love Dwells in pure hearts, Bathed in the Sea of Mercy, Radiant as stars, bright as the dawn.
Eternal
Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company [of chosen ones] in
your vineyard - upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them
with the strength of your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your
Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light,
that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with
one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end.
Amen.
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday and goes through Divine Mercy Sunday.
Today, bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and
immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console me
in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.
Most
Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to
forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place
in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most
Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from it. We beg this of You
by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Oh omnipotence of Divine Mercy, Salvation of sinful people, You are a sea of mercy and compassion; You aid those who entreat You with humility. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon all mankind and
especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate
Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, show us Your
mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy forever and
ever. Amen. (1210-1211 in Diary of St. Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul ) Divine Mercy Chaplet
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail
Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I've been doing the Consecration to St. Joseph and today is Consecration Day! I've enjoyed reading and praying with the book by Fr. Calloway especially during the Year of St. Joseph and I encourage you to pick it up if you haven't already. It is a bit hefty. If it takes you longer than 33 days to get through it, I'm sure St. Joseph won't mind.
I didn't get to post about what I was reading as much as I would have liked, but seeing as it is St. Joseph's feast day, I did want to post about a couple of things I found especially interesting.
One is the relic known as Santo Anello. Apparently this is the wedding ring that St. Joseph gave Mary. The ring is in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Perugia, Italy where it is housed in a beautiful reliquary. Married couples as well as those about to be married are invited to touch their wedding rings to the Santo Anello to receive a blessing.
The other thing I found interesting was in the chapter on "Sleeping St. Joseph" which discusses the value of sleep:
"God loves sleep. He made it. . . Being a workaholic is never a good things. . . You are not wasting your time when you rest. Sleep is pleasing to God. God will speak to you and refresh your soul when you sleep."
I know there are seasons of life when getting a full night's sleep isn't possible, but if there isn't a compelling reason to be up in the middle of night, make getting a good night's sleep a priority. God made us to both work and rest.
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. Purchases made after clicking the Amazon link help support this site. Thank you!
Youth minister Doug Tooke recently gave a talk on “The Perfection
of Imperfection.” In it he discussed how our quest to be perfect can lead to
blame and shame. When we think that holiness means that we must be perfect, it
can lead to self-criticism and despair. He challenged listeners to “be a candid Polaroid in a Photoshopped world.”
Social media increases this emphasis on being perfect. I can’t
even tell you how many times scrolling through Facebook becomes a near occasion
of sin for me. As someone who has always struggled with insecurity (pride) and
envy, it is hard for me to see all the posts of people whose lives seem so much
better and more successful than mine. It is not even a case of my not being
happy for their successes. I am truly happy that my friends are doing well. It
simply triggers my internal voice that points out (loudly and repeatedly) all
the ways my life is not going well, even though I know that, behind the surface,
those posting their highlight reel on Facebook have their own challenges. And
yes, I confess pride and envy every single time I go to confession. I will
probably be struggling with this until the day I die.
As a professional writer and editor, I need to present a
professional persona on social media. That is the case for people in many careers. We need
to show the world that we have it all together so that people will want to work
with us. The modern world has made it so that each of us is a “brand” that
needs to be cultivated and advertised. This emphasis on being a marketable
product takes away some of our humanity. We can’t show our flaws or our
imperfections. We enhance our selfies using filters to make ourselves look
better. We take pictures of carefully curated sections of our homes so it looks
like our living spaces are always clean and neat. We only share our moments of
success so that no one knows about the hard times we might go through.
I’m certainly not telling you that you need to share all
your personal troubles with everyone on social media, but we all need people we
can be real with. In order to have true friendships and quality familial
relationships, we need to be willing to open up and share our vulnerable spots.
We need to admit that we are human and have flaws. We need to acknowledge our
struggles and sins.
In his talk, Tooke talks about being willing to be imperfect
with our children when passing on our faith. It is okay to let your children
see you struggle sometimes. I think that this is especially true with teenagers.
They need to know that even adults don’t have it all together. They need to see
us admit we are wrong and ask for forgiveness. They need to see us pray for
help in our moments of weakness. When our teens come to us with questions that
we don’t have the answer to, we can admit we don’t know and offer to look for
the answers with them. We don’t always have to be right. We can admit that we
are works in progress just as our children are. We can acknowledge that, more
than anything, we need God.
In a world full of airbrushed and filtered perfection, be
willing to be the snapshot, especially with those closest to you. We humans are
beautifully imperfect. It is through our cracks that God’s mercy and grace are
able to shine through.
This post was inspired by Doug
Tooke's "The Perfection of Imperfection" Talk in the OSV Talks series, a series of
topics from prominent Catholic leaders to spark discussion, explore new or
re-explore old approaches, and inspire creative thinking, all from the heart of
the Church.
The writers at CatholicTeenBooks.com always
amaze me with the quality of their stories. All of the writers are experienced
novelists in their own right, but when they come together to collaborate on a
short story collection, they truly shine.
Their latest effort Treasures:
Visible and Invisible features eight stories that move through history from
4th century Ireland to a dystopian future. What ties the stories
together? A shamrock-shaped stone that St. Patrick found which helped give him
the idea of explaining the Trinity as a clover. As the stone touches various
lives through the ages, it brings with it a measure of protection and the
ability to work miracles through St. Patrick’s intercession. Each of the
stories can stand on its own, but when taken together, they present a compelling
portrait of the power of prayer and the mystery of God’s ways.
(This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking through a link help support this site. Thank you!)
Here is a quick summary of the eight stories:
Treasures:
Visible & Invisible
by Theresa Linden, Susan Peek, Antony Kolenc, Amanda
Lauer Carolyn Astfalk, Leslea Wahl, T.M. Gaouette, and Corinna Turner.
·A teen boy sets out to save a friend from pagan
druids, but maybe he’s the one who needs saving.
·Between a baffling scripture verse and a visit
from Heaven, a young monk is in for the surprise of his life.
·A young girl seeks a mysterious treasure that
holds the key to granting a nun’s dying wish.
·Honora is desperate—then a peculiar clover and a
mysterious young man change everything.
·William's weekend job is a little gift from
heaven, but now his family needs a real miracle.
·When threatened by mobsters, Grace receives help
from a surprising source.
·Alone and afraid, a young girl finds friendship
in a stranger. But could this boy be trouble?
·Kyle was determined to save the precious relic –
but now his whole family is in danger.
And some impressive author bios:
THERESA LINDEN is the author of
award-winning Catholic fiction, including the West Brothers contemporary series
and the Chasing Liberty dystopian trilogy. One of her great joys is to bring
elements of faith to life through a story. She has more than a dozen published
books, three of which won awards from the Catholic Press Association. Her short
stories appear in several anthologies, including Secrets: Visible &
Invisible, and Gifts: Visible & Invisible. Her articles and
interviews can be found on various radio shows and in magazines, including
EWTN’s The Good Fight, The National Catholic Register, Catholic
Digest, Today’s Catholic Teacher, and Catholic Mom. Her books
are featured online on Catholic Teen Books, Catholic Reads, FORMED,
and Virtue Works Media. A wife, homeschooling mom, and Secular
Franciscan, she resides in northeast Ohio with her husband and children. You
can learn more about her at www.TheresaLinden.com.
SUSAN PEEK
is a wife, mother, grandmother, Third Order Franciscan, and bestselling
Catholic novelist. Her passion is writing stories of little-known saints and
heroes. All her young adult novels have been awarded the coveted Catholic
Writers Guild Seal of Approval and are implemented into Catholic school
curricula not only across the nation, but in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
as well. Saint Magnus the Last Viking and The King's Prey: Saint
Dymphna of Ireland were both Amazon #1 Sellers among Catholic books. The
King's Prey was also voted one of Catholic Reads TOP 10 BEST
CATHOLIC BOOKS OF 2017 and was a Finalist for the 2018 Catholic Arts and
Letters Award. Crusader King was featured as one of the 50 Most Popular
Catholic Homeschooling Books in 2013. Susan lives in northeastern Kansas, where
she can usually be found with her nose in a book, researching obscure saints to
write about. Visit her at www.SusanPeekAuthor.com.
ANTONY
BARONE KOLENC is
the author of The Harwood Mysteries, an exciting historical-fiction
series for youth published by Loyola Press. He is a long-time member of the
Catholic Writers Guild, and his novels all have the Catholic Writers Guild’s
Seal of Approval. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Air Force
Judge Advocate General’s Corps after 21 years of military service. A law
professor who’s had his works published in numerous journals and magazines,
Kolenc now speaks at legal, writing, and home-education events. He and his
wife, Alisa, are the parents of five children, and have been blessed with three
wonderful grandchildren. To learn more about The Harwood Mysteries and its
author, visit www.antonykolenc.com.
AMANDA
LAUER loves
writing books—particularly Young Adult Historic Fiction—that portray the Church
in a positive light and depict God’s children endeavoring to become the best
version of themselves every day. A journalist and proofreader by trade, Amanda
embarked on her novelist career with the award-winning and best-selling Heaven
Intended Civil War series. A World Such as Heaven Intended earned the
2016 YA CALA award. Currently Amanda has several more books in the process of
being published.
In addition
to writing novels, Amanda works in the film industry writing and copy-editing
screenplays. She was awarded Best Writer 2020 (Red Letter Awards) for her work
as a co-writer on the movie The Islands. To learn more about Amanda,
who’s lucky and blessed to be living in a world such as heaven intended, visit
her web site: www.AmandaLauer.com.
CAROLYN
ASTFALK
writes from the sweetest place on Earth, Hershey, Pennsylvania, where she lives
with her husband and four children. In addition to her contemporary Catholic
romances (sometimes referred to as Theology of the Body fiction), including the
young adult coming-of-age story Rightfully Ours, she is a
Catholicmom.com contributor. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and
Pennwriters. When she is not washing dishes, doing laundry, or reading, you can
find her blogging about books, faith, and family life at www.CarolynAstfalk.com.
LESLEA WAHL is the author of the award-winning
Catholic teen mysteries The Perfect Blindside, An Unexpected Role,
Where You Lead, and eXtreme Blindside. The characters in this
short story, Luke, Celia, Austin, and Grandma Grace, appear in her newest
adventurous novel, A Summer to Treasure. Leslea’s journey to become an
author came through a search for value-based fiction for her own children. She
now not only writes for teens but also has become a reviewer of Catholic teen
fiction to help other families discover faith-based books. Leslea lives in
beautiful Colorado with her husband and children. The furry, four-legged
members of her family often make cameo appearances in her novels. Leslea has
always loved mysteries and hopes to encourage teens to grow in their faith through
these fun adventures. For more information about her faith-filled Young Adult
mysteries, please visit www.LesleaWahl.com.
T.
M. GAOUETTE
is the author of the Faith & Kung Fu series for young adults, as
well as The Destiny of Sunshine Ranch and For Eden’s Sake. She
also contributed to the last two Catholic Teen Books anthologies, Secrets:
Visible & Invisible with her short story “Sister Francesca” and Gifts:
Visible & Invisible with “Just Jesus.” Her novels have received the
Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval (except new releases for which the seal
may be in process). Born in Africa, raised in London, England, Gaouette now
lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, where she homeschools
their four children, raises goats, and writes fiction for teens and young
adults. A former contributor for Project Inspired, Gaouette’s desire is
to instill the love of God into the hearts of her readers. You can find out
more at www.TMGaouette.com.
CORINNA TURNER is the author of the I Am Margaret and unSPARKed
series for young adults, as well as stand-alone works such as Elfling and
Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon (for teens) and Someday (for older
teens and adults). She has just released The Boy Who Knew (Carlo Acutis) the
first book in her new Friends in High Places series about friendship
with the saints. All of her novels have received the Catholic Writers Guild
Seal of Approval (except new releases for which the seal may be in process). Liberation
(‘I Am Margaret’ Book 3) was nominated for the Carnegie Medal Award 2016
and Elfling won first prize for “Teen and Young Adult Fiction” in the
Catholic Press Association 2019 Book Awards. Several of her other books have
been placed in the CPA Awards and the Catholic Arts and Letters Award.
Corinna
Turner is a Lay Dominican with an MA in English from Oxford University, and
lives in the UK. She has been writing since she was fourteen and likes strong
protagonists with plenty of integrity. She used to have a Giant African Land
Snail called Peter with a 6½” long shell—which is legal in the UK!—but now
makes do with a cactus and a campervan. You can find out more at www.IAmMargaret.com.
