I'll be speaking at the same event as Mother Miriam

I'll be speaking at St. Mary's in Kalamazoo, MI next Saturday, November 5th along with Mother Miriam. More information is posted on the "appearances" page of my website. http://www.donnacooperoboyle.com/

View from the Domestic Church: A Whirlwind of Activity in Cincinnati!

View from the Domestic Church: A Whirlwind of Activity in Cincinnati!

Interview with Teresa Tomeo on Extreme Makeover

I have recently had the blessing of interviewing a dear friend, fellow author, and colleague, Teresa Tomeo about her newest book Extreme Makeover. Below is our interview:

DONNA-MARIE: Teresa, your new book Extreme Makeover appears to have been in the making for a while, compiled with compelling research and crafted from expert observations, with a keen eye on the culture. How long did it take to write this book?

TERESA: You’re right about this being in the making for some time. I am always researching in the area of media influence and our culture so I had much of the work and the format for this book already outlined.  In all it took me about two months to write the book and several weeks of editing with a wonderful editing team from Ignatius Press.

DONNA-MARIE: Why did you feel this book needed to come out now?

TERESA: Well it’s God’s timing. But I also saw a need based on so much emphasis in our culture and in media programming on the outward things. We are all about making over our homes, our wardrobes, and getting into better physical shape but I don’t see any shows or messages out there telling us that real beauty is about being beautiful from the inside out. I also found that this idea of a spiritual extreme makeover was resonating with so many people especially women.  But again it’s really God’s timing. 

DONNA-MARIE: What do you hope your book will accomplish?

TERESA: I hope it will get women and men to see that Jesus and the Church don’t give us a series of “no’s” but as Pope Benedict said a few years ago-“a big “yes” to love and to life.” God’s plan really is the best plan and if we open our hearts and minds to what is happening in our world we can connect the dots and see how the Church is proven right over and over again. 

DONNA-MARIE: Who should buy this book? 

TERESA: Women, men, pastors, any one interested in the impact the culture is having on our world. It is a great resource and contains the latest studies on media influence. It can also serve as a great book for a book club or a study group as each chapter contains reflection questions. I had a priest tell me just yesterday that he loved the book and thinks both men and women should read it so he is buying 100 copies for his parish. 

DONNA-MARIE: Where can it be purchased? 

TERESA: www.teresatomeo.com

DONNA-MARIE: What are your plans for upcoming speaking and book signing events?

TERESA: I have two book signings in the Detroit area where I reside and then will be signing books at my other upcoming speaking engagements.  Best thing to do is to go to my web site http://www.teresatomeo.com/ for my schedule details.

DONNA-MARIE: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about Extreme Makeover? 

TERESA: I really hope people find it a helpful resource that encourages, affirms, and educates.  I really put my heart and soul into Extreme Makeover and I hope that I did Jesus and His Church proud.

TERESA: Any plans for a new book?  Several new books actually and all with some connection to my area of expertise in the culture and media so as we say in broadcasting “stay tuned.”

DONNA-MARIE: I can't wait to see how that all unfolds. We'll be staying tuned! Thank you very much for the interview! I pray your book is a complete success and reaches countless people!  

TERESA: Thanks Donna-Marie for the work that you do and all the support.  You are such a gift to us in the Church!!!!!

DONNA-MARIE: You are too kind, dear Teresa. Thank you for all that YOU do! God bless your book launch!

View from the Domestic Church: In honor of Blessed Pope John Paul II: A Review of "You are my Hope"

View from the Domestic Church: In honor of Blessed Pope John Paul II: A Review of "You are my Hope"

Interview with author Dorothy Pilarski

I recently interviewed Dorothy Pilarski about her new book Motherhood Matters.

This is what I said about her book in the form of an endorsement:In Motherhood Matters, "Dorothy Pilarski shares a passionate and compelling story. Gleaning from unfolding discoveries in the pursuit of meaning in her life, Dorothy has lovingly woven together a collection of articles, letters, quotes, and prayers; guaranteed to stir a Catholic mother’s heart."

Now here is our interview:

DONNA-MARIE: Dorothy, the book you've seemed to put your heart into has finally been released. What are your thoughts?

DOROTHY: There is a part of me that still doesn’t believe it’s true. There are moments where it feels like a bit of a dream. There have been so many obstacles to overcome, but Our Lady just kept opening up these doors. I just kept walking through the doors she opened. I have received so much help and encouragement from so many people. It all started with my own Mother’s Group.

I think one of the best things a Catholic mother can do is to start a Mother’s Group. Being surrounded by Catholic girlfriends-- that support, encourage, nurture, laugh, cry, and pray with you is the greatest privilege in the world.

I am completely overjoyed by all of the endorsements, Motherhood Matters got from women who are hero’s of mine. My heart really is full of gratitude. Donna, thank you for taking the time to interview me and thank you for endorsing the book too!

I feel blessed that by the grace of God I signed the contract for the book on the Feast of St. Frances de Salles. By the grace of God, it was launched on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. And, I have been interviewed by Teresa Tomeo and on the Drew Mariani show too.

DONNA-MARIE: How long did it take to write this book?

DOROTHY: The book was written over a sixteen year span. I have hosted a Catholic Mother’s Group for just a little over 15 years. We generally meet once a month out of my home. We start off with the rosary, I usually have a speaker or DVD, we then chat over a variety of herbal teas and pastries. I found in between our meetings, I would reflect on different things and decided to share them with my Catholic moms. My email distribution list grew and grew. After reading the reflections I had written many moms on my list would suggest that I put them into a book. I never took their suggestions seriously. I just didn’t think I was that good of a writer. I wrote because I loved to write about matters that were close to my heart.. Finally, one mom suggested I forward at least one piece to our Canadian newspaper, the Catholic Register—the rest is history!

DONNA-MARIE: Why did you write for mothers?

DOROTHY: When I was just a little girl I longed to stay at home and be a mother. I relished in the very thought of it. When I finally became a mom, quite late in life, I realized that not many women were staying at home to watch their own children. I remember being a bit stunned. I see the mother child bond as being sacred and it appears that that very bond is being attacked. Right now, our world does not need any more political, academic, theological, sophisticated, sexy, accomplished, worldly rich mothers—mothers that are too busy for their own children. Our world needs mothers who are anointed with the Holy Spirit and will storm heaven and earth – and they will do whatever it takes to care for their own children in their early years and to make it their priority to pray with their children and to pass down the Catholic Faith.

DONNA-MARIE: What are some of the issues that today's mothers are confronted with?

DOROTHY: Mothers today, in some cases, are on a certain level self destructing. We are too busy, we are over saturated, over stimulated, over shopped, over travelled, over fed, over extended. We have systematically created a culture and life style that is squeezing out not only God but the feminine nature out of women. Instead of having time to nurture, encourage, listen, sing, play, cook and perform acts of charity we become driven, workaholics, obsessed with the next thing on our to do list. We often don’t have time just to “be” with our own children or our aging parents. We often don’t have time to pray, visit friends in the hospital or go to funerals.

In what is sometimes a harried life, as Catholic mothers there maybe a temptation to forget that our primary duty is to pass down the Catholic faith.

DONNA-MARIE: What are your hopes for this book?

DOROTHY: I have three hopes for this book. It is my hope to challenge the current cultural model of motherhood. Secondly, I would like to provide an evangelical tool for mothers who already view motherhood as a vocation. It is my hope that this is the type of Catholic book that anyone would feel comfortable in passing on to their other less committed Catholic girlfriends! Thirdly, I want to affirm, encourage and inspire mothers and call them to start praying a Holy Hour for the vocation of motherhood in general. I would like to start a movement whereby a group of women voluntarily sign up for Holy Hours to reclaim the dignity of motherhood under the mantle of Mary, the Mother of God world wide!

DONNA-MARIE: Is there anything else you would like us to know about the journey in writing this book or whatever may have led up to writing this book?

DOROTHY: I would like to encourage women who in their gut know what they should be doing, but haven’t had the courage to listen to the promptings in their own hearts. I would like to encourage women to pray to the Holy Spirit, to engage in a lively sacramental life and to visit Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration often. I would really encourage mothers to start mother’s groups. Mother’s NEED to be ministered to! There are so many wonderful resources, just start the meeting off with the rosary and Our Lady will definitely do the rest!

DONNA-MARIE: Finally, Dorothy, where can we get a copy of your book?

DOROTHY: Right now the book is available on the website of the Catholic Register. It is set up to take both American and Canadian orders.

http://www.catholicregister.org/motherhoodmatters

In the coming weeks autographed copies of the book will be available on my blog http://gutsycatholicmom.blogspot.com/ and website http://www.dorothypilarski.com/ but for now going to the Catholic Register website is best. They get a great deal on the shipping!

DONNA-MARIE: Thanks very much for your time in doing this interview, Dorothy. God bless you and your family!

DOROTHY: Thank YOU Donna, I couldn’t have done it without your support and help!

"Extreme Makeover" by Teresa Tomeo

Have you seen Teresa Tomeo's new book published by Ignatius Press? It's making quite a splash. Here's a bit about it:

Popular radio host Teresa Tomeo knows from experience that the self-image of American women is being distorted by pop culture. with its emphasis on youth, physical beauty, and sexuality, the secular media is encouraging women—and girls—to see themselves primarily as sex objects. a former television news reporter, tomeo pulls together the latest research on social behavior and trends to demonstrate that women are harming themselves and their chances for true happiness by adopting the thoroughly modern, sexually liberated lifestyle portrayed in magazines and movies. Packed with not only persuasive statistics but also powerful personal testimonies, Extreme Makeover shows that it is not the slogans of the sexual revolution and the women’s liberation movement that free and dignify women, but the beautiful teachings of the 

Catholic Church. 

In her new book, Tomeo writes about the type of “extreme makeover” one will never see on television. Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ not Conformed to the Culture will be published in October by Ignatius Press.

“Our media and culture continue to reinforce in the minds of girls and young women that their intrinsic self-worth is founded in their value as nothing more than a sexual object,” Tomeo said. “How can our society expect women to be treated fairly and with dignity when our culture continues to portray them as mere objects? The new fall TV series ‘The Playboy Club’ on NBC is just another example of how women continue to be objectified and sexualized through the media. Shows like this glamorize pornography – a problem that has been devastating to marriages, families and society in general.”

Tomeo doesn’t deal just with this issue in Extreme Makeover. She tackles many others that remain important to women of all ages, and she offers solutions in her own collective assessment of the state of the world. “The culture can be toxic in terms of desensitizing us to violence, weakening our moral fiber, and making us feel pretty darn disgusted with ourselves because we’re not five foot nine and a size 2,” Tomeo writes in the book. “So how do we respond?”

She answers that and many other questions in Extreme Makeover, and includes a section with stories about women who have transformed themselves by focusing on what God intends them to be – not what the media and culture tells them they must be in order to feel good about themselves.

“(Teresa) Tomeo knows the pressures and dishonesties facing women in modern American culture from firsthand experience,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap., of Philadelphia, “and she leads women to Jesus Christ with compelling personal testimonies and uncommon persuasive skill. For any woman who seeks the true foundation of her dignity, this is the book to read and to share.”

Praise for Teresa's book: “Teresa Tomeo is a passionate and persuasive apologist for the Catholic faith. In Extreme Makeover, she offers an earthy, candid, refreshing rejoinder to conventional feminist wisdom and builds a solid case for the liberating power of Catholic orthodoxy.” 

Colleen Carroll Campbell 

TV & radio host, author, The New Faithful 

View from the Domestic Church: A Mother's Never-Ending Prayers!

View from the Domestic Church: A Mother's Never-Ending Prayers!

View from the Domestic Church: Tomorrow Morning's Radio Interview

View from the Domestic Church: Tomorrow Morning's Radio Interview

Teresa Tomeo's "Extreme Make Over"

EXTREME MAKEOVER RELEASE OCTOBER 7TH!

A former television news reporter, Tomeo pulls together the latest research on social behavior and trends to demonstrate that women are harming themselves and their chances for true happiness by adopting the thoroughly modern, sexually liberated lifestyle portrayed in magazines and movies. Packed with not only persuasive statistics but also powerful personal testimonies, Extreme Makeover shows that it is not the slogans of the sexual revolution and the women’s liberation movement that free and dignify women, but the beautiful teachings of the Catholic Church. Teresa’s book discusses many of the issues that are so controversial to women today:   Media Mania and the Feminists Mistake: “Common sense tells us that having a choice is not the same as making a good choice. When it comes to having an abortion choice has little to do with it.” (Extreme Makeover, p. 52)   The Abortion Distortion: “Put quite simply, if jumping from bed to bed and engaging in all kinds of sexual experimentation is so wonderfully grand,  so ultimately fulfilling, and so freeing, why is there so much misery and pain attached to it?” (Extreme Makeover, p. 74)   Free Sex and the Contraception Deception: "Truth is truth and it cannot be suppressed. Whether we are talking abortion, contraception, or embryonic stem cell research, the Church is proven right over and over again.  The world may not want to see it or admit it, but it is important for us to be able to step back and connect the dots." (Extreme Makeover, p. 160) So what are women steeped in the Hollywood and Cosmo girl version of reality to do? Undergo Tomeo’s Extreme Makeover! With the help of this book, they can shed the toxic messages that objectify and enslave them and embrace the truth about being a beloved daughter of God. Order here: Order Today! Visit Teresa on www.facebook.com/ExtremeMakeoverBook // To order, go to www.teresatomeo.com ISBN: 978-1586-1-7-561-0, AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7, 2011 Order Here Now! »

Exciting Announcement: DVD now Available!

Exciting Announcement: DVD now Available!

Interview with author of AMAZING Booklets for Catechists!

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author, Lisa Mladinich about her inspiring and very attractive and AMAZING catechist booklets. 

Here's our interview:

DONNA-MARIE: Lisa, I'm looking at your latest booklet, "Be an Amazing Catechist: Sacramental Preparation." It's very attractive and filled with so many valuable concepts, teaching tips and tools for lesson planning, and even help with classroom discipline. I think it's great!

Lisa, what compelled you to write it?

LISA: My publisher! I had written the first booklet, “Be an Amazing Catechist: Inspire the Faith of Children” directly from my own experiences in the classroom, which developed over a long period of teaching children both in and out of the Church. So when my publisher asked me to write a booklet on Sacramental Preparation, I was a little nonplussed. I had taught sacramental preparation, but I didn’t feel I was expert enough to create something as densely packed and useful as the first one. However, the team at OSV is largely made up of experienced catechists and DREs, so I knew that my work would be in the best of hands. I set about researching and interviewing passionate, experienced catechists and DREs whose specialties related to the subject and ended up with more than enough high-quality material. I learned a lot in the process and discovered that my own experiences were echoed in those of others. It was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to the next one.

DONNA-MARIE: Would you please tell me about your booklet that preceded this one and a bit about this one?

LISA: The first booklet, “Inspire the Faith of Children,” is a ton of fun. It’s packed with powerful, easy-to-use teaching methods adaptable to absolutely any curriculum. It encourages the catechist to do something personal, but well-informed. It offers a clear-cut system for everything from lesson-planning to classroom discipline, from teaching children to pray to drawing them closer to God through creative, unforgettable lessons. Using the Bible, movement, music, and even puppets are explained.

Everything is founded on three ideals: 1) teaching authentic, orthodox Catholicism, which God richly blesses and supplements abundantly with His grace; 2) the catechist’s own intimate walk with Jesus Christ; 3) the catechist’s individual teaching style, informed by a brief inquiry into learning styles, personality, and native talent.

Building on these same ideals, the “Sacramental Preparation” booklet addresses such topics as: inspiring heroism in children, teaching them reverence, reducing fear of the confessional, exciting activities and insights for imparting abstract concepts, help with logistics for First Penance and Holy Communion, Confirmation prep, getting teens to open up, inspiring them, helping them develop a positive and powerful Catholic identity, the value of rote learning, assessments, and much more. I was very privileged to interview catechists of great commitment, orthodoxy, and creativity for this booklet. They inspired me so much I wanted to get back into teaching the sacraments myself.

 

DONNA-MARIE: I understand there's a Spanish version of one or both? Is that right?

LISA: Yes, OSV has a strong commitment to providing resources for Spanish-speaking Catholics. I’m very proud of the translated booklets and pray that they continue to be of help to the Hispanic members of our Catholic family.

DONNA-MARIE: How long have you been involved in Faith Formation? Have you taught as a catechist?

LISA: I have taught as a catechist in various environments over the years, primarily with children, beginning when I was in high school. But there were long breaks in-between as I went through college, struggled to build a career, settled down and became a mother. I was an actress for many years and taught improvisation to adult actors and then later to teens. For a few years I taught secular workshops for children in nursery schools, libraries, scout troops and summer camps. My work with young children was primarily about character development and encouraging literacy. I used songs, puppetry, improvisation and storybook theater games to help young children connect dynamically with abstract concepts. It was great, great fun and quite successful. Particularly moving were the responses of special needs children to my work with puppets, which have a strange power to hold the attention of even the most challenged students. By the time my daughter entered our parish’s RE program and I went back to work as a catechist, I had developed a powerful methodology that transferred easily to teaching the Faith, but then exploded in terms of efficacy because of the addition of prayer and an awareness of God’s presence throughout. I still occasionally do special programs for children, but most of my teaching involves instructing catechists, these days.

DONNA-MARIE: As catechists begin their new school year, what do you think are one or two of the most important things he or she should keep in mind?

LISA: Most importantly, that they are never alone – in or out of the classroom. That teaching and learning the Faith can and should be a supernatural experience. Our Biblical heroes aren’t memorable because of their great brilliance or talent, they are heroes because of their trust in God. When we pray, make small sacrifices for our students and their families, do our best and leave the rest to God, He moves powerfully. And don’t let discouragement set in. You won’t see the fruits of much of what you do in this life. But God is faithful to water the seeds you plant, and if you are faithful to the Church’s teachings and cling to Jesus Christ through sacramental life and prayer, you will one day see that blessed fruit revealed in heaven.

DONNA-MARIE: Lisa, how do you see this pamphlet and your previous one helping catechists? Have you received feedback?

LISA: Because of technology, I do have the joy of receiving wonderful feedback. I love hearing that someone was afraid to take on the task of teaching the Faith, but that my booklet swept away their feelings of intimidation and they’ve signed up for the year. One catechist told me that my booklet got her started, and then saved her several times when she would hit the wall again and get frustrated when things weren’t going well. She just kept going back and re-reading it. By the end of the first year, she’d become so confident and successful that she was appointed grade-level coordinator for the following year. I also dearly love to hear that veteran catechists who were experiencing burn-out are now refreshed and excited again about teaching, that they’re full of ideas and trusting in God to provide more, because they’ve read this little booklet. Catechists are “my people.” I dearly love them and learn a great deal from them, so it doesn’t just help them. It helps me.

DONNA-MARIE: What are your hopes for this booklet?

LISA: That God uses it as a small part of a greater effort, made up of tons of catechists, writers, speakers and religious education leaders; a genuine revolution in the teaching of the Catholic faith that will smash through decades of watered-down or heretical programs that have, unfortunately, dominated the American Church for decades. Generations have been lost from active participation in the Church, and the damage multiplies with each successive generation. This, however, is just another Goliath, and we needn’t fear. The battle is the Lord’s and there are great signs of hope, especially among young people. There are wonderful people entering this gentle, loving “fight.” My little booklets are like small troops of soldiers out there hollering, “Charge!”

DONNA-MARIE: How can we get a copy?

LISA: Our Sunday Visitor sells them for $2.95 each, or $17.95 for packs of ten. They’re magazine sized, about 30 pages, very colorful and easy to roll up and stick in a purse, briefcase, or book-bag. Right now they’re being featured at the Parish Resources home page at OSV.com, which is very exciting for me. Here are the links!

Sacramental Preparation - https://catalog.osv.com/Catalog.aspx?SimpleDisplay=true&ProductCode=X1206

Preparación Sacramental

https://catalog.osv.com/Catalog.aspx?SimpleDisplay=true&ProductCode=X1257

Inspiren la Fe de los Niños - https://catalog.osv.com/Catalog.aspx?SimpleDisplay=true&ProductCode=X1211   

Inspire the Faith of Children - http://www.osv.com/ParishNav/ParishProducts/BeAnAmazingCatechist/tabid/8235/Default.aspx 

DONNA-MARIE: Is there something else you'd like us to know about your booklets for catechists?

LISA: Yes, something very important and central to their intent.

Both booklets emphasize what the Church refers to as “a call within a call”; that all those who teach the Faith must recognize God’s intimate, personal call to them as individuals to draw near to Him. Yes, He wants us to teach, but even more, He wants us to cling to Him through study, prayer, and sacramental life. It’s all about conversion. To teach powerful, effective lessons with staying power, we have to learn the Faith, love it, and live it. We don’t have to be perfect, just willing to learn in baby steps as we go along, and to have the integrity to submit to the Church’s proper authority. God blesses that willingness. It is in humility that He raises us up and makes us radiate His light to a dark world.

Donna-Marie, thank you so much! I am very honored to address your readers in this way. Thank you for having me.

DONNA-MARIE: Thanks so much, for sharing your time, Lisa. I hope the interview will help draw attention to your AMAZING work! 

God bless you and yours!

Donna-Marie