by Mary | Apr 18, 2008 | Idiot's Guide, Original NSS
As soon as I walked out of Penn Station and hailed a taxi, I got a taste of the pope-mania that has taken over New York. My cab driver, Kenneth, who is not Catholic, told me as we drove to the media center at the Sheraton Hotel that the pope “has some good lessons” to teach. Then he went on to say that there’s a “nice spirit” enveloping New York, as evidenced by the fact that there really were no terrible traffic problems today — at least not for him — despite road closures surrounding papal events.
Kenneth told me that New York “needs a big blessing” and then said that, despite not being Catholic, he watches EWTN regularly and would love to get to see the pope one day, and maybe even get to Rome. (more…)
by Mary | Apr 17, 2008 | book review, Books, Idiot's Guide, Original NSS
With so much going on with the papal visit, it’s hard to find time to think or blog about anything else. But here’s some book-related news worth sharing. Gary Stern of Blogging Religiously (the religion blog of The Journal News) has an entry on my book today. You can check out what Gary has to say about me and my Idiot’s Guide by clicking HERE.
Chiara and Olivia made the OSV papal blog today. You can see what they were up to by clicking HERE.
Now I’m off to pack for my trip to NYC tomorrow…
by Mary | Apr 15, 2008 | Original NSS
Keep up with Pope Benedict — and with me — all week by clicking HERE to go to Our Sunday Visitor’s blog, Papal Visit 2008 News and Views. I am part of a three-person blog team that will be bringing you all sorts of interesting and fun information about the papal visit. We’re hard at work already, so head over there now and see what’s going on.
I will be in Manhattan Friday thru Sunday, covering the youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers on Saturday and blogging from the papal visit media center at the Sheraton the rest of the time. I’ve got contacts at just about every event and will be interviewing them and posting their reactions and responses to what’s going on. In addition, you’ll find papal texts, news stories, polls and more. (more…)
by Mary | Apr 14, 2008 | Books, Idiot's Guide, Original NSS
Good news folks. I received word from my publisher, Penguin/Alpha Books, that a second printing has already been ordered for my latest book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism. I just want to thank all of you for buying my book and spreading the word. I am surprised and humbled by the way things are going so far. Now I need to keep the momentum going, so tell your friends or parish staff if you think my book is something they might like, want or need.
If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of the CIG to the Catholic Catechism, click HERE and head over to Amazon, where there are lots of nice reviews. Or, if you live in upstate New York, stop by St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m., where I will be speaking and signing copies.
by Mary | Apr 12, 2008 | family, grief, Original NSS
Twenty years ago today my mother, Irene DeTurris, died of colon cancer. That reality still blows me away, even two decades after the fact. It has been the longest, fastest 20 years, and if you have ever lost anyone special, you know exactly what I mean.
On the one hand, I think of the 20 years that have gone by and it seems as if my mom’s death happened a lifetime ago. I was only 25 at the time. So much has happened in the interim, so much that my mother should have shared. On the other hand, those 20 years went by in the blink of an eye. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were talking and laughing and sitting on the family room couch together eating ice cream and watching M*A*S*H? How is it possible that it has been 20 years since I’ve heard my mother’s voice? I hate to admit it, but it’s hard for me to remember what she sounded like. Even her singing voice, which was fantastic, has faded away, with only a few short, fuzzy cassette tapes to remind me of her favorite past time.
My mother was my best friend, and I don’t say that in some cloying, aren’t-we-special sort of way. I say it because it was the absolute truth. Don’t get me wrong. She was my mother first and foremost, and a strict mom at that, especially with me, her first-born. But I lived at home through college and until she died, so in my young adulthood our relationship deepened into a friendship that gave me strength and joy and courage. (more…)
