Watch the Bookmark Brief below. The entire Bookmark program interview will air on EWTN television in the near future.
You can learn more and purchase here.
I was blessed, very happy, and honored to present on the life and spirituality of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts a few days ago on dear St. Fasutina’s feast day. It was wonderful to see all of the folks who came out to partake in the amazing graces of the day — many coming to my presentation, and asking many great questions during our Q&A following my talk. I thoroughly enjoyed having to have a chance to chat with them afterward at my book signing held at the Gift Shop.
Click on the video image below (from Instagram) if you would like to watch my presentation at the Saint Faustina Center at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass.
I recently sat down with Fr. Mark Mary and enjoyed a lovely and blessed discussion on the spiritual life and St. Faustina’s incredible journey. I was at the EWTN television network in Irondale, Alabama when I bumped into Fr. Mark Mary when I was coming out of the chapel from Mass. We chatted a bit and Father invited me on his podcast. We just had to figure out when we would fit it in. Since I was there to film three shows and was all booked up, it turned out the podcast would have to be at the “last minute”! Seems to be the story of my life. 😉 I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation.
Here is a wonderful endorsement sent to me today by Ralph Martin:
“I’m not usually keen about reading one of the 30 days or 52 weeks kind of books as I don’t usually find them going into depth enough to decently treat the saint they are focusing on. But it was different with Donna-Marie’s book. As I began to skim through it in preparation for doing a Television interview with her I realized that this book was different and I wanted to read it from cover to cover. This is the best integration of the main events of St. Faustina’s life and the best presentation in a clear, orderly way, of her spiritual teaching that I know of. I am very grateful for this book and highly recommend it.”
Ralph Martin, S.T.D.
Director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Archdiocese of Detroit
I have been very busy of late and haven’t had the chance to blog much at all. However, I’ll pause from the deadlines to share a bit here today.
Not long ago, I was blessed to visit the Renewal Ministries television studio in Detroit, Michigan to film two television shows with Ralph Martin who had invited me to share with him on air about my new book 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina: A Year of Grace and Mercy.
It was a whirlwind trip, getting in one evening and up the next morning to be whisked to the studio to do the two shows before heading straightaway to the airport to fly back home. I think we got a lot accomplished that day of filming. All by God’s amazing grace.
The shows called “The Choices We Face” will air on EWTN television in the Spring of 2020. I will keep you posted. In my next blog post I will share something special that Ralph sent to me today…stay tuned!
I just found out yesterday that my book 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina fell into the hands of a prisoner. I don’t want to give away the story yet because I want you to get the chance to read his blog post on your own.
This is how he began his blog post…
“The GTL Tablet I purchased last year revolutionized life behind these stone walls, but I found myself quickly becoming dependent on its technology. Prior to the tablet, my only phone access was through a few outside collect-call-only telephones with poor connections. Depending on where we were living, there were up to 40 prisoners for each available phone. Just imagine living in a house with 40 adolescents sharing a single telephone. Not even Dante’s Inferno could depict such a scene.
In a New Hampshire winter, placing calls from prison meant long frigid waits outside in the howling wind and weather. After two winters of daily calls to TSW helpers in just that way, these tablets became available. I had heard rumors that they would have telephone capability, but I had serious doubts that this prison would ever allow such a thing. I was therefore shocked when my $149.00 GTL tablet arrived in April 2018 equipped with headphones, a microphone, and a phone app.
It worked great, and the prepaid calls placed through GTL were just a fraction over one-cent per minute compared with the up to 15-cents per minute we were paying for the privilege of getting frostbite. No more sharing a single telephone with 40 other prisoners. No more standing in line shivering early in the morning. No more having to talk on a phone after the last five guys sneezed on it. You get the point. The GTL tablet and its available features changed how life is lived here.
Until I dropped it…”
His story is really fascinating and you’ll see that it now involves my book, 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina: A Year of Grace and Mercy.
As well, this prisoner said he is going to pilgrimage with Saint Faustina and blog about it.
So, take a look at his blog post. I have no doubt that you will find the story fascinating. It is here.
Enjoy his blog post and let me know your thoughts in the comments. By the way, I dug further and read his back story. I won’t say any more for now to allow you to read it as well. Please pray for him. He surely needs our prayers.
COMING SOON!
52 Weeks with Saint Faustina
(Marian Press)
Just as a little backdrop for you to share the blessings I received…
On Sunday night, October 4th, I returned home from leading a pilgrimage to France. The following day was the feast of St. Faustina!
After a strenuous, but very AMAZING trip, my body absolutely needed some time to rest and recuperate, especially because I am still healing up from a bad bicycle accident I was in a few short weeks before the pilgrimage and because I will be leaving very soon on another European trip. This one will be to give a Divine Mercy retreat to the military.
Well, on the morning of St. Faustina’s feast day, I sprang up out of bed at 4:00 AM. I felt rested enough and I decided to check my phone for messages. Right at that exact time, I received a text from a dear priest friend who said he was going to the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass. that day. Oh, how I longed to go. But, practically speaking, it seemed impossible to me, logistics-wise, etc. But still, I felt deeply inspired to embark on that trip with my husband–jet lag and all! So, we both began our work very early that day and finished in time to set out for the Shrine.
I am so glad and incredibly grateful that we did! For on that very day, I was handed a copy of an advance reader’s copy of my book “52 Weeks With Saint Faustina.” What a surprise! I didn’t know it was ready. As well, I participated in holy Mass, the Rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, Adoration, Benediction, and more. It was so meaningful to me on the special feast. What incredible blessings! And ones I could never have anticipated since I did not plan to go to the Shrine that day!
After that, I met Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC (in photo above and below) who had celebrated the Mass and gave a beautiful homily on St. Faustina. We had a lovely spiritual conversation and I was blessed to receive his blessing on my book and the work of the book, the people who will read it, etc, as well as a blessing for my husband and myself.
In addition to the amazing blessings that unfolded on dear St. Faustina’s feast day, I was told that the Nihil Obstat for the book came in on that very day! If that was not enough, later that day I received a vey beautiful foreword for my book which was written on St. Faustina’s feast day! I have included a very short snippet of it below. Certainly, God was showering me with amazing blessings on St. Faustina’s feast day! I am not worthy, but I am deeply grateful and blessed!
Here is the temporary book cover. It will be updated and will contain the subtitle. It will be available at Marian Press, my website, and in stores in December. It’s available to pre-order now through my website.
Description: Come spend 52 weeks with St. Faustina! Perfect for any time of the year, this collection of weekly meditations and activities by EWTN host Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, author of The Miraculous Medal, guides readers on a 52-week spiritual pilgrimage through the life and teachings of the Secretary and Apostle of Divine Mercy, St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938).
Writing in her usual loving, thoughtful style, Donna-Marie offers readers a light-filled retreat, helping them welcome the grace and power of St. Faustina’s spiritual path of mercy and trust into their lives. Drawing deeply upon the wealth of spiritual insight and truth in the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul, Donna-Marie shares with the reader the fruits of her own discipleship at the feet of St. Faustina and other great saints of mercy, such as St. John Paul II and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Rich, beautiful, inspiring, this book will help bring light into your life, and prepare you to share that light with others, as well!
Shown on Amazon here. But, not available on Amazon yet as this is just the advance reader’s copy.
Available (and autographed!) for pre-order here. $15.95 each (plus shipping)
Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, a great Marian Helper, popular author, and EWTN show host, has created about as faithful and as thorough a presentation on the spirituality and the writings of St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), the Secretary and Apostle of Divine Mercy, as I’ve ever read. It’s a deep dive into the life and writings of one of the greatest mystics in the history of the Church, a religious sister who was given to us by God specifically for the times we are living in today…
Saint Faustina changes lives. The Divine Mercy message and devotion that she was given by Jesus, a reminder and a prophetic restatement of the classical Gospel teaching on the mercy of God, changes lives…
I hope that you’ll get a chance to partake in the “pilgrimage” in reading 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina for a beautiful transformation in your own life.
