The Book of the Month for July & August
The Book of the Month series here at Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Church is a faith formation opportunity for anyone at any time! The book will be selected by Fr. Ben and published about two weeks before each month begins, and this gives everyone time to purchase it if they so desire for that particular month. There is no commitment, and you may join in or choose to forego any month and at any time. The meeting for each book is at the end of the month, and it will be offered both in person and on Zoom. The details and reminder for each meeting are sent out via email. To join this email list, please contact the office or myself directly (if you join this email list, there is no commitment to have to come to each meeting!). You can always join the meeting even if you did not read the book, and the basic summary and Q&A will be published afterwards online. Reading books is one way God can transform our hearts! God Bless you, and let's pray for each other during this time! -- Fr. Ben Dunkelberger
This personal testimony of Fr. Walter Ciszek is one of my favorite books of all time! The narrative follows a Pennsylvania native from Shenandoah, through a remarkable journey of training to become a missionary priest destined for Russia, his journey into Poland and then Russia during the beginning of World War II, and his eventual capture and imprisonment in Russia for over 20 years. This book is written partly as a narrative of the story but much more focused on Fr. Ciszek's spiritual reflections on his experience. His incredible passion and determination, honesty and authenticity about being broken down through this experience, and especially his deep spiritual insights into how God is always working for the good of our souls, will change how you view the world and bring you face-to-face with God's closeness, mercy, and transforming love. Because this book is a bit longer than others (about 200 pages...even though I think it may read faster than other books) and because of my own schedule (among other things), I've decided to give us two months to read and reflect on this book before our final meeting, which means we will meet towards the end of August 2021. I encourage everyone that can to read this book or even just come to this discussion because this story of suffering, hope, mercy, and faith is certain to help you on your journey. God Bless you!
Book Discussion Times and Dates: Please email or call the office to be put on the list and receive the Zoom meeting info towards the end of every month. The next meeting will be Sept 1st at 7pm.