Friday, 5 November 2021

Saint Bakhita of Sudan Forever Free - Susan Helen Wallace and Wayne Alfano - Encounter the Saints Series Book 21

Saint Bakhita of Sudan: 
Forever Free
Encounter the Saints Series Book 21
Susan Helen Wallace FSP,
Wayne Alfano (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819870940
eISBN 9780819872548
ASIN B00AEYPKSY


As a family we have read over 30 books in this series so far. I started reading this series myself, focusing on saints I knew and had devotion to. Then I started reading them with my three youngest children. My children and I love this series. We have read many of the books more than once. 

This is an excellent series is! Between my three children and I we have now read nearly all of the books in this series. I read them either by myself, or with one or more child. My youngest 2 children ages 13, 10, still both love these books. And they have read or reread them to us. My son wants to have the complete set in his room, so he keeps asking to buy his own set, because he loves these books so much. We have picked up several volumes to donate to the school library. I would love to have the whole set in the school library as a resource when the students are picking confirmation saints. Each time we read a book in the series we appreciate this series more. We hope there will be more books released in the series in the future. I would love to see how this series handles Saint Josemaria Escriva, Blessed Carlo Actus, … and many more. We would also like to eventually see eBooks of all of the volumes in the series. With my dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues we both prefer eBooks where we can change page color, font size and font spacing. This book has an eBook listed but I cannot find it, as it is listed at currently unavailable.

Now back to this specific book on Saint Bakhita of Sudan. 

The description of this volume is:

“The name “Bakhita,” which means “fortunate,” was sarcastically bestowed upon this young child when she was kidnapped into slavery. After being taken to Italy and put into service as a nanny, she was sent to live with the Canossian Sisters in Venice, eventually becoming part of their community. For twenty-five years, she joyously carried out humble services in the convent, including taking care of the wounded during World War I. This African saint's engrossing life story, heroic choices, and forgiving heart make her a wonderful role model!”

The chapters in this volume are:

1. Kidnapped
2. A Brief Escape
3. Bakhita’s Mistake
4. Bought and Sold Again
5. Be Peaceful and Happy!
6. The Long Journey
7. A New Home
8. Links in a Chain
9. The Great Day
10. A Special Attraction
11. The Lord’s Own
12. All for Jesus
13. Sowing Peace
14. A Wonderful Story
15. War...Again!
16. Shadows of Eternal Joy 
Prayer 
Glossary 

The prayer in this volume is:

“Saint Bakhita, you’re so easy to love and so hard to forget. You have many lessons to teach each one of us. Suffering and sadness stalked your young life. You know what it’s like to thirst for goodness and truth, especially Eternal Truth. You teach us how to hope, how to trust, and how to keep on going without ever giving up.

It’s so easy to believe that others are better off than we are, have more than we have, and find life easier and more fun than we do. Few people have suffered more than you, Saint Bakhita. Few people have had a more difficult life than yours. But you found your freedom and peace in the crucified Jesus, and he taught you the value of all human pain. Jesus gave you gifts of wisdom, compassion, and a great heart capable of loving and forgiving everyone—even those who treated you cruelly and enslaved you.

You never gave in to hate or thoughts of revenge. No matter the weight of your troubles, you clung to Jesus and he took care of you. Teach me, teach us all how to be like you, Saint Bakhita.

Amen.”

The prayer in this volume is the very different to the one as in the companion volume, The Saints Pray for Us, which has prays for the first 30 saints and blessed covered in the series. This book is a wonderful read. Learning about Saint Bakhita of Sudan it is not an easy read. And this saint went through more in life than many of us will ever experience. It is great to read this with children and be able to explain some of the history and context. 

This is one of eight volumes in the series written by Susan Helen Wallace FSP, and one of three illustrated by Wayne Alfano. Each volume in this series had 5 illustrations. The ones in this volume are pencil sketches. They have a lot of detail. My children love going over the pictures and picking out all the details. A few of the passages I highlight my first time reading this book were:

“The child’s new name, sarcastically assigned her by a slave trader, would become the name she would be known by for the rest of her life.”

“As far back as 1462, Pope Pius II had condemned slavery as a terrible crime, and many popes and missionaries after him had worked to end the practice.”

“At moments like this, Bakhita would wonder about the existence of a Supreme Being. Who holds this world together? the young woman asked herself. Who directs our lives? Who allows events to happen? Who helps us to make good choices and avoid bad ones? So many questions. Who had the answers? Someone does, Mimmina, Bakhita whispered to the sleeping child. I’ll find answers to all my questions someday.”

This was the second book about this saint that I have read. The other was Saint Josephine Bakhita: A Survivor of Human Trafficking by Jean Olwen Maynard part of the CTS Biographies Series. Both volumes are well worth the time and effort to read. We have now read over 30 of the books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media. And everyone has been worth the read. Though this one is not at times an easy read it is an excellent read in a wonderful series!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books about Saint Bakhita of Sudan:
Saint Bakhita of Sudan - Susan Helen Wallace and Wayne Alfano - Encounter the Saints Book 21
…

Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media:
Blessed James Alberione Media Apostle
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Journey to the Summit
Journeys with Mary Apparitions of Our Lady
Saint André Bessette Miracles in Montreal
Saint Anthony of Padua Fire and Light
Saint Bakhita of Sudan Forever Free
Saint Bernadette Soubirous And Our Lady of Lourdes
Saint Catherine Labouré And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Saint Clare of Assisi A Light for the World
Saint Damien of Molokai Hero of Hawaii
Saint Edith Stein Blessed by the Cross
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Daughter of America
Saint Faustina Kowalska Messenger of Mercy
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Cecchina's Dream
Saint Francis of Assisi Gentle Revolutionary
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla The Gift of Life
Saint Ignatius of Loyola For the Greater Glory of God
Saint Isaac Jogues With Burning Heart
Saint Joan of Arc God's Soldier
Saint John Bosco Champion for the Young
Saint John Neumann Missionary to Immigrants
Saint John Paul II Be Not Afraid
Saint John Vianney A Priest for All People
Saint Juan Diego And Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Courageous Faith
Saint Katharine Drexel The Total Gift
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque And the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Saint Martin de Porres Humble Healer
Saint Maximilian Kolbe Mary's Knight
Saint Paul The Thirteenth Apostle
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Rich in Love
Saint Teresa of Avila Joyful in the Lord
Saint Teresa of Calcutta Missionary of Charity
Saint Teresa of Kalkota Missionary of Charity
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Thursday, 4 November 2021

Dorothy Day Devoted Daughter of the Church - Father Ashley Beck - CTS Biographies

Dorothy Day: 
Devoted Daughter of the Church
Fr. Ashley Beck
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860825071
eISBN 9781784694913
ASIN B075P2N7LX
CTS Booklet B705


This is the third volume from Father Ashley Beck that I have read. A few years ago, I stumbled across the books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society quite by accident. I was researching an author I had run across, and was trying to track down all of her works. Soon I had a long list of books from the CTS on my Wish List, and it seems that for everyone I read I end up with 1 or 2 more on my wish list. I have now read over 200 volumes from the CTS, and have nearly that many on my wish list. And with each book I read I am blessed. Father Ashley Beck wrote I believe 8 volumes for the Catholic Truth Society, and most of them were biographies. Some of his are available as eBooks and those that do not appear to currently be out of print. But from what I have read they are well worth tracking down. This volume was published in 2008 and the eBook edition released in 2017. But let us return to this book and the that it is excellent introduction to Dorothy Day. The description of this booklet is:

“Dorothy Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement and Newspaper, and dedicated her life to the cause of peace, opposition to nuclear weapons, and service of the poor. She died in 1980.

A controversial figure in life, and even in death, there are many who believe Dorothy Day, who died in 1980, to be a modern day saint. An American journalist and political activist who converted to Catholicism following a profound existential crisis in her late twenties, Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement and Newspaper, and dedicated her life to the cause of peace, opposition to nuclear weapons and service of the poor. In 2000, Rome recognised the cause for her beatification. This booklet unravels the life, times and thought of this most amazing of women, who passed through despair, crises and opposition to find the Risen Lord.”

The chapters in the book are:

A Modern-day Saint
Early Life
Conversion and Life as a Catholic
Peter Maurin
The Catholic Worker Paper
Vision for Peace
Closing Years and Death
Her Holiness and Theology
The Catholic Worker Movement Today
Further reading

But it should be noted that about a third of the book is dedicated to Peter Maurin, his thought, his influence and his impact on Day and her own thoughts and works. I had come across Dorothy Day a few times in my academic research, having a Religious Studies degree with a focus on Roman Catholic Thought. But As mentioned in the description she was controversial, and often skimmed over or mentioned as a side remark. I really wish I had taken the time to look into the woman and her works earlier. I was surprised by much of what I read in this volume, and will be looking into her life and her works more deeply. And the end of the volume has some excellent recommendations. Just short of a third of  the book is the Section “Further reading” and “Endnotes”. I was so impressed with the life of Day that I read all of the end notes and some of them were extensive. The book also has a wonderful ‘Prayer for Dorothy Day’s Canonisation’ at the end. Some of the passages I highlighted my first time through were:

“In the year 2000 the Holy See recognised the cause for the beatification of Dorothy Day (giving her the title ‘Servant of God’). Some years before Cardinal John O’Connor, Archbishop of New York, said in support of the process: ‘It has long been my contention that Dorothy Day is a saint–not a ‘gingerbread’ saint or a ‘holy card’ saint, but a modern day devoted daughter of the Church’.”

“For the poor and for peace The two pillars of Day’s life and teaching bear this out–love for the poor and witness for peace. Day and her associate Peter Maurin established a radical form of love for the poor–living with the poor, sharing resources to help the poor, campaigning for poor workers and the homeless-following in the footsteps of many saints in the history of Christianity.”

“As the cause for her beatification progresses it is right for us to assess her influence and reflect on her heroic qualities. We should, however, recall that she herself said: ‘Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed so easily.’”

“Perhaps surprisingly her experience at university was negative–although she read avidly (especially from now on Russian authors–Gorky, Chekhov, and Tolstoy and, above all, Dostoyevsky) she avoided campus social life and worked in order to support herself financially. She began her journalistic career writing for local papers and joined the Socialist Party.”

“But she had made deep and influential friendships, such as that with Rayna Simons. She and her future husband Samson Raphaelson were Jewish, and the way they were treated at university was Day’s first encounter with antisemitism–in the 1930s, she would found the first Catholic group opposed to anti-semitism.”

“Day was often imprisoned during her life and her sense of solidarity with prisoners was consistently strong, as was her opposition to the brutality of the death penalty.”

“By 1922 she was living in Chicago and working on a paper called The Liberator. Women linked to the I.W.W. were treated by the police as if they were prostitutes and Dorothy was arrested after one of the so-called ‘Palmer Red Raids’ which were such a feature of life in America in these turbulent years. Dorothy was shocked by the ways in which the women prisoners were abused and humiliated: ‘.... It was an unutterably horrifying experience for me. I had opened the door in fear and trembling and had been forced to dress practically in the presence of two detectives, leering….’”

“She also lived with Catholic girls in Chicago who went to Mass and set aside times for prayer each day. The Catholic Church was fascinating to Day, who wrote: ‘worship, adoration, thanksgiving, supplication…were the noblest acts of which we are capable in this life.’”

“Dorothy had met a nun on the beach at Staten Island, and with her help had Tamar Teresa baptised in July 1927. This nun, Sister Aloysia of the Sisters of Charity ‘had had none of the university summer courses that most Sisters must take nowadays. She never talked to me of the social encyclicals of the Popes. She gave me a catechism and brought me old copies of the Messenger of the Sacred Heart, a magazine which, along with the Kathleen Norris type of success story, had some good solid articles about the teachings of the Church. I read them all; I studied my catechism; I learned to say the Rosary; I went to Mass in the chapel by the sea; I walked the beach and I prayed; I read the Imitation of Christ, and St Augustine, and the New Testament.’”

“In these first four or five years as a Catholic Dorothy was searching for a vocation and trying on her own to bring up a baby.”

“The houses of hospitality were to bring about the practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy; the farming communes, especially in the context of the early 1930s, were to remedy the terrible problem of unemployment. We will now look at how the paper and the movement behind it developed from 1933.”

“Her consciousness of God’s action through the sacraments is shown in other ways too, such as her experience of God’s forgiveness in confession (and she deplored the decline in the practice of confession from the 1960s) and there are many accounts in her writings of members of the Catholic Worker family being anointed before death. For her the sacraments were never (as they are for some) a means of escaping from the world and its sufferings: rather they were the means through which God meets us day by day with his healing grace.”

“Part of her reading at this time was a life of St Teresa of Avila: from the very beginning of her life as a Catholic Dorothy saw the saints as her friends within the Church. Her closeness to Our Lady is very natural and striking, rooted in everyday life:”

“This characteristic, of resistance to the power of the state, is the final mark of holiness which we can identify. Throughout the history of the Church, and perhaps particularly the twentieth century, this has defined Christian witness, particularly in the lives of the martyrs, men and women like Blessed Franz Jagerstätter, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, the Servant of God Oscar Romero and countless others.”

“Day wrote of those who came into contact with Maurin that ‘though they themselves fail to go the whole way, their faces are turned at least toward the light.’ She would never be satisfied with that, of course, but those words do help us understand how great her influence has been, and how much more it can achieve as we learn more of her life and listen to her words.”

This booklet was an excellent little read. It truly is a great read from the Catholic Truth Society, a wonderful volume in the CTS Biographies Series. I highly recommend this book!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

Books by Ashley Beck:
Europe's Soul and Her Patron Saints
Ronald Knox
Thomas Merton: Contemplative and Peace-maker
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Wednesday, 3 November 2021

Alert, Aware, Attentive - John Cullen - Advent Reflections

Alert, Aware, Attentive:
Advent Reflections
John Cullen
ISBN 9781788122887
eISBN 9781788122894
eISBN 9781788122900
ASIN B08FMB4RBP


This is the sixth book published by Messenger Publications that I have read this year. The first I read was, Saint Ignatius of Loyola: A Convert's Story by Patrick Corkery SJ, and this was one of 4 I picked up while writing and researching for the review of that one. I decided to read this so I could review it to promote it prior to advent. I actually picked up 2 different books from Messenger Publications for Advent, this one and Waiting in Joy An Advent Journey by John Scally. I have mixed feeling about this volume. And I will get to the reasons shortly. But first, the description of this booklet is:

“We often find it hard to believe that we have a unique voice. Advent begins with a voice crying in the wilderness. Every voice matters – especially voices in the wilderness that are stifled and silenced by alienation and apathy. This book dares you to take the time to listen to Advent voices in the wilderness that persist with calls to be heard and respected.”

And the chapters in the book are:

Introduction
First Sunday Of Advent
Monday Of The First Week Of Advent: Feast Of Saint Andrew
Tuesday Of The First Week Of Advent
Wednesday Of The First Week Of Advent
Thursday Of The First Week Of Advent
Friday Of The First Week Of Advent
Saturday Of The First Week Of Advent
Second Sunday Of Advent
Monday Of The Second Week Of Advent
Tuesday Of The Second Week Of Advent
Wednesday Of The Second Week Of Advent
Thursday Of The Second Week Of Advent
Friday Of The Second Week Of Advent
Saturday Of The Second Week Of Advent
Third Sunday Of Advent
Monday Of The Third Week Of Advent
Tuesday Of The Third Week Of Advent
Wednesday Of The Third Week Of Advent
17 December
18 December
19 December
20 December: Fourth Sunday Of Advent
21 December
22 December
23 December
24 December
25 December: Christmas Day
Appendix
Epilogue

First the Good:
There are some excellent devotions in this collection. There are some wonderful Jewish references and quotes. One of the best pieces was about the Jewish-American violinist Itzhak Perlman.

The Bad:
The book is written for a specific calendar year. Though nothing in the description mentions that. Not the end of the world you can do some shifting and depending on the year may miss a day or two.

The Ugly:
There were some very questionable sources and quotes in the volume. Having read Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes I find the reference to it here a great strain form the source material. And a quote from Greta Thunberg almost caused me to add the book to my ‘Did Not Finish’ list. I also find the section on the Koran and Mary completely out of place, and does an injustice to both what Muslims and Catholics believe about Mary and Christ Jesus.

The end of the introduction states:

“These Advent reflections help us to celebrate the truth of ‘God-with-us’, who, despite the lurking questions in the playground of our hearts, invites us in the words of the gospel ‘to listen, to know and to follow’ (John 10:27).”

I feel it does not live up to that. I pick a few Advent and Lenten resources each year. Some I know are written for a specific year and others I have used a few times up to over 20 times. I am uncertain I will even return to this one and read it this Advent. I feel that this volume tried to have so broad an appeal it lost the target audience. And I hope I will have greater success with the other I have already picked up. 

I loved the 4 biographies I have read from Messenger Publications, and have a few others I have picked up including 2 for advent. But this is a book I am not certain I can recommend.  (On a side note I have since read Cullen's Stations of the Cross and loved it.) I was underwhelmed by this one at best, and disappointed at worst. Waiting in Joy: An Advent Journey by John Scally has more than made up for it.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! For all review of Messenger Publications books and booklets click here. 

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Tuesday, 2 November 2021

Wild Life - Corinna Turner - unSPARKed Book 5

Wild Life
unSPARKed Book 5
Corinna Turner
Unseen Books
ISBN 9781910806326
eISBN 9781910806333
ASIN B09GYVPS3P


With the reading of this story I have now read books in the unSPARKed series 20 times. I started reading them myself. Then later reading them to my son, once he showed interest in them. And now my son is rereading me the whole series. I hope someday my youngest daughter will show interest and will be happy to read them all again with her. Because we both love them so much I picked up the eBook of this one for me, and a physical copy for my son. We love all of the books in this series. When this book released my son was reading me A Very Jurassic Christmas. He wanted to finish and then read this one together. I could not hold out after a week I broke down and read this one afternoon over a couple of mugs of coffee, sitting in the autumn sun on the back patio. Wow! An amazing story in a FANtastic series. 

The series currently is comprised of 5 main novels this being the fifth. Four prequel stories, 1 yet to be published, 0.2 A Mom with Blue Feathers, and a story set 59 years before the main series. But this is the first whole store where the two different story arc’s have finally merged. I have said it before and I say it again that these are great reads for tweens, teens and adults. I describe the series as a mashup of Mad Max, Lost World, and Jurassic Park.

unSPARKed is a series set in a not-too-distant future. Dinosaurs once again roam the earth. Just because a scientist could do something, did not mean they should have done it. Most people live SPARKed, in cities with walls and electrified fences. There are two groups of people who live unSPARKed, farmers who have electric fences around their farms and live in community with their close neighbours. And Hunters who live most of the time out on the road or off road in HabVI’s Habitat Vehicles. 

The description of this volume is:

“Life out here ain’t a game. As you’ll learn the first time something goes south.

Having avoided being separated and taken in-city, there’s still a chance Darryl and Harry can rescue their father from his kidnappers. As they settle into their new life as young hunter Joshua’s assistants, Josh can teach them how to handle the wildlife—but worse threats loom on the horizon.”

The story is told in a series of first person narrative chapters. And there is a wide range in chapter length. The breakdown is

Darryl 9
Harry 6
Joshua 6

But I believe Harry’s 6 chapters are about half the length of Joshua’s. There could have been a chapter by Father Ben but I will get to that in a sentence or two. Our main characters are:

Darryl: 16 and a half years old. Raised on a farm. Does not enjoy the city. And Harry’s big sister. Devote Catholic. Deep faith. A brave strong young woman.

Harry: Darryl’s younger brother. Eager to learn. A farm boy at heart. A youngster of faith, and strong work eithic. 

Joshua: He was raised unSPARKed, lived his whole life from the day he was born in a Habitat Vehicle. He was raised by his father and uncle. Both deceased. Can’t stand being in city. Saved Darryl and Harry after a car accident where they lost their new step mom. 

Father Ben: Father Benedict was once a city priest, but trained to be a rural priest. Travels in a SOS van, A black van with a big white cross on it. Looks after a rural parish. Traveling from farm to farm. Darryl and Harry are his parishioners. Had an encounter with Josh’s uncle Z and father 19 years ago, and more recently with Joshua and Uncle Z and a Vi full of dino’s.

A city social working was going to take Darryl and her brother in city and likely cause them to be separated from each other. At least for the year and a half until Darryl turned 18. So they snuck away to work with Joshua as his assistants. They have three reasons for wanting to do this. First they stay together. Second they stay out city. And third they can try and find a way to rescue or ransom their kidnapped father. All of which they cannot do in city. 

This instalment in the story focuses mostly around the Joshua training the other two for life in a Vi and life hunting. They are also trying to get the word out to make contact with the kidnappers. They have the support and help from another Vi crew that Josh knows. And they reach out to Father Ben, which does not start off exactly as expected. But to find out how and why you will need to read this excellent story.

This is another excellent instalment in an amazing series. But be warned you will be desperate for the 2 stories announced in the series. These are my son’s favourite fiction books. He loves them tremendously. We have read all the previous ones at least twice together. And he is giving a full set to his school library. And this is one of the best in the series. I highly recommend this series, and to be honest any book written by Turner!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Corinna Turner:
I Am Margaret Series:
0.0 The Underappreciated Virtues of Rusty Old Bicycles (A prequel)
0.5 Brothers (Prequel)
1.0 I Am Margaret
1.5 How Snakey Got His Name (Short Story)
2.0 The Three Most Wanted
3.0 Liberation
4.0 Bane's Eyes
5.0 Margo's (Attempted) Diary & Notebook
5.5 An Unexpected Guest
6.0 The Siege of Reginald Hill
6.5 Buttons (Short Story)
7.0 A Saint in the Family
I Am Margaret The Play - Fiorella de Maria
...

Yesterday and Tomorrow Series:
Someday
Tomorrow's Dead
...

unSPARKed Series:
Prequel Short Stories:
0.1 Breach
 7.0 FEAR

Mandy Lamb Series:
Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon
Contributed to:
Secrets: Visible & Invisible 7 Amazing Stories - Catholic Teen Books
Gifts Visible & Invisible 8 Christmas Stories for Teens
Treasures: Visible & Invisible 8 Stories for Teens
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Monday, 1 November 2021

Hold My Beer - Father Mark Goring - An Apocalypse

Hold My Beer:
An Apocalypse
ISBN 9798520657439


This was the second book I have read by Father Mark Goring CC. The first was Saint Joseph the Protector: A nine-day preparation for entrustment to St. Joseph, and is very different than this volume. When I finished that first one I picked up this and also, In His Zone 7 Principles for Thriving in Solitude. I wish this and the other books by Father Mark Goring were available electronically. With my dual form of dyslexia, eBooks are far more accessible, as the page color, font, and even font spacing can be changed to make reading easier. But most of Father Goring’s books are short enough I can make do using a colour film over the page. But back to this volume. I believe this is Father Goring’s only work of fiction to date. And some might read it and assume it is satire or farce. But that is not the impression I get from this book, though it is at times very humorous and entertaining. The description of the book is:

“A routine airport drop-off turns into an escape to the wilderness. The world’s communications systems are down and Father Pedro’s five VIP passengers know exactly what’s going on – the Media Reset.

The global elite are establishing a New World Order and silencing opposing voices. A remote island hunting camp becomes a place of refuge and surprises.”

The chapters in this book are:

A Place to Hide
Conspiracy Reality
Shotgun Visit
Shopping Spree
Ice Cold
Island Time
Need Coffee
Dictator for life
Freeze
Treasure Chest
Burst of love
Glassy Sea

The story has six main characters, Father Pedro and the 5 conference attendees he was driving to the airport. And an accomplice, known as Mr. Mister. And to be honest every time we encounter him in the book, even from the first mention of his name, I could not help but picture John Voight, as Mister Sir in the movie Holes. 

““What’s your friend’s name?” Mother Elijah asks.
“Mr. Mister,” I answer.
Christie holds back a laugh. “Mr. Mister?” She asks.
“That’s what everyone calls him,” I reply.”

The main characters are:

Ralph: Podcaster The Ralph Report conservative commentary, a Catholic Traditionalist.

Christie is a beautiful African American woman, mid-twenties journalist with the Pro-Life News Service.  Convert to Catholicism

Texas, a gentleman from Arizona, Don’t ask. Tall, blond, YouTube channel Extremely Catholic. Wild and crazy and popular with youth.

Mother Elijah a nun from Louisiana, author of several books on Christian Spirituality. Dominic a religious friar with the Order of Preachers, a Dominican. Originally from Vermont.

Father Pedro: A young priest who was just driving the other 5 to the airport after a conference. 

The 6 had been participants at The Kingdom Media Conference that takes place in Ottawa Ontario every October. So our story begins with 5 well known American Catholics and a local Canadian priest. As they do a drive by at the airport they see 2 Franciscans they knew from the conference being arrested. They head to Father Pedro’s place and soon are warned that they are being looked for by the police. And so they head north and see the help of Mr. Mister. 

This book sat on a table for a few weeks. Because I prefer eBooks. My youngest daughter kept asking about it because she found the title amusing. So one night I took it upstairs and read it between putting her to bed, and her brother. They book can easily be read in under 2 hours. It is an entertaining tale. The title does appear in the story several times, and becomes a bit of an in joke among the cast of characters. It is an interesting presentation of theories many believe today. And as an apocalypse far funnier than any others I have read. 

It is an interesting and entertaining read. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Father Mark Goring:

Notebooks by Father Mark:
Disciple Notebook: Discipleship. Living in the Spirit. Evangelization 2018
Disciple Notebook: Discipleship. Living in the Spirit. Evangelization 2019

Non-English Editions:
San Jose el Protector: Una Preparacion de Nueve Dias para Consagrarse a San Jose
Duc Thanh Giuse Dang Bao Tro: Chin Ngay Chuan Bi de Dang Minh Cho Duc Thanh Giuse
…
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