The Kiss of Jesus and the Beauty of the Cross | CWR Staff | Catholic World Report
An interview with Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle about her new book, motherhood, her friendship with Blessed Mother Teresa, and being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is known to many Catholics as the host of EWTN's “Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms” and “Catholic Mom’s Café" and the author of several award-winning and best-selling books. Her new book, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross
, published by Ignatius Press, reveals surprising details about her life that she has not discussed very often, including struggles with pregnancy loss, serious illness, divorce, being a single mother, and a daunting custody battle involving her five children.
Donna-Marie recently corresponded with Catholic World Report about her book, sharing her thoughts about motherhood, her friendship with Blessed Mother Teresa, and being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
CWR: You have written several books, but none have discussed the intimate details of your harrowing personal life — until now. Why did you decide to finally reveal the personal details of your life in a book format?
Donna-Marie: For years I have written books about the Catholic faith in an effort to teach and inspire, as well as to affirm people (especially women who are so bombarded by our ungodly culture) in their God-given vocations.
I have always tried to keep myself out of my writing as much as I could so that I didn’t draw the attention to myself, but so that I could give glory to God. Over time, I learned that it is essential to share of our personal lives so that we can reach the hearts of others who will relate to the experiences.
I mention this notion in the preface of my book when I explain how I one time shared with a worn-out single mother that I had also been a single mother in the past and that even though it was extremely difficult at times, God had indeed helped me to mother my five children and raise them in the faith. The woman was flabbergasted to learn that, though I appear on EWTN and in my writings as “all put together,” I have struggled, too. In learning about my past, this woman suddenly felt very hopeful about her own plight. She said, “If you can do it, Donna-Marie, I can do it, too!”
I realized then that I absolutely needed to share much more about my own struggles in life so that, by God’s grace, I could help others to experience hope for their own situations. I didn’t know exactly when I’d be sharing my story, but I had a strong sense that I would make my life more of an open book to share the good, the bad, the ugly, the scary and the redemptive.
CWR: What have some of the initial reactions to the book? Are many people surprised that you—a sweet, joyful and soft-spoken woman—have lived a perilous life?
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