Gee, But It's Great to Be Back Home!
Hi there! Remember that great song by Simon and Garfunkel? (Though I wasn't in any trouble with the law, as far as I know.)

This was my delighted face (and feet) on my last day of a month that took me to Wisconsin, Florida, and Georgia, talking about saints, the Proverbs 31 woman of worth, and more. It was great catching up with folks I hadn't seen for too long and making new friends.

We're in the home stretch to autumn. My prayer is that you make the most of what's left of summer... and that you get a chance to put your feet up now and then.
Friends in Faith: Sharon O'Brien
Sharon O'Brien is a tireless advocate for those affected by domestic abuse. Even though we both live in the DC area, our contact tends to be via email, which is why it was a true gift to spend some time together last month at the National Council of Catholic Women's conference and chat about our ministries. Sharon serves as director of the National Catholic School of Social Services' Catholics for Family Peace Education and Research Initiative at the Catholic University of America. I admire how this busy, energetic woman collaborates nationally with others to help clergy and pastoral leaders know how to recognize and respond to domestic abuse among parishioners.
 
That's where you come in. October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, and I'll be teaming up with Sharon to illumine how faith can help those in abusive relationships find a new path. If you've been abused or have used abuse against your spouse or were a child witness, I'd like to send you three questions so we can learn how faith helped or hindered you in finding hope, help, and healing on what we're calling the Journey to Peace.
Your name and other identifying information will not be disclosed.

The 200-250-word profiles will appear in October on the Catholics for Family Peace website. I hope you'll consider participating, or sharing this request with a friend or relative who might be interested. Just send me an email at melanie@rejoicebeglad.com with the subject line Journey to Peace, and I'll send the questions. Thanks!
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On the Nightstand: Our Lady of Charity
You may know Maria Morera Johnson as the author of My Badass Book of Saints. I love her writing style, which somehow manages to be devout, earnest, and fun all at the same time. I'm looking forward to reading her new book this month. Our Lady of Charit y is a devotion that began among three Cuban men who received Mary's protection during a storm 400 years ago. The book includes the story of Maria's first trip back to her birth nation of Cuba after fifty years in the United States.  

I'm often asked for spiritual book recommendations, so my website now has a section of titles that resonate with me. See what you think in the Shop section.
"O My Jesus!" --Alphonsus Rodriguez
Disappointment upon disappointment. Alphonsus Rodriguez, born in Spain in 1532, had to leave behind his hopes of becoming a priest initially because his father died when Alphonsus was just fourteen. That meant he had to leave school to help his mother in the family business. At age thirty-eight, Alphonsus found himself alone: his mother, wife, and son had died. The business was failing. He tried again to pursue his vocation, but couldn't due to his lack of education.

But Alphonsus trusted in God. He became the doorkeeper at a Jesuit school on the island of Majorca, and spent the rest of his long life welcoming visitors. His warmth was so sought after that people would come from mainland Spain just to meet him.

I'll be writing a bit more about Alphonsus later this month in my Monday's Man (occasional short profiles of beatified and canonized men).

September: A Month of Writing
If you're in the Woodbridge, VA, area, I'd love to see you at the Our Lady of Angels' Catholic Women's Council tea on September 8.

Beyond that, September will be mainly a month of writing for me. I've told you I'm working on Brotherhood of Saints, a daily devotional of male saints, for Franciscan Media, due out in October 2020. I'm excited to share the Franciscan and I also are teaming up on a book tentatively titled 21 Women Saints for the 21st Century: How 20th Century Sisters Can Help You Get to Heaven. The 21 will include women you likely know, such as Mother Teresa and Jacinta Marto, one of the children of Fatima, along with women such as Dulce Lopes Pontes whom I know you'll find inspiring. That book will be out next spring.

Oh, and I'll also be working with some friends on preparations for the fourth annual Future with Hope Women conference for Catholic woman 40+ October 18-19 in Arlington, VA. Please consider joining us! If you can't, you might want to like our Facebook page so you can join us virtually as we'll be livestreaming the conference speakers.

Stay happy and close to the Lord.

In Christ, Melanie