I have created a new Novena Prayer Bracelet design: “Irish Blessings.”
I made this particular style in four ways (white pearl-like beads, crystal beads, as well as crystal with semi-precious gem stones).
Description: “Irish Blessings!”
Currently, there are THREE styles for “Irish Blessings.” One is crafted with pearl-like glass beads, one other is with crystal glass beads. The third, is with the white pearl beads and “Fancy Jasper” semi-precious stones.
All have pretty green decorated beads as well (some are decorated glass, others are “Fancy Jasper” semi-precious stones). The St. Patrick medal has the image of St. Bridget (shown in next photo) on the back! Each bracelet features sterling silver plated and silver-plated components, along with the Saint’s medal and Miraculous Medal, Celtic Cross, and shamrock. There are also small Irish-looking hearts, as well as silver “knot” beads between each bead (hard to see in the pictures).
Each Novena Prayer Bracelet will come to you in a velvet bag, along with a prayer card to St. Patrick and St. Bridget.
“Irish Blessings!” Prayer Novena Bracelet (white pearl) with nine beads for a Novena of prayer
Use the button below to order one bracelet ($42.95, plus Priority shipping in U.S.)
Use the button below to buy two for only $80.00 (plus Priority shipping in the U.S.) for both!
“Irish Blessings!” Prayer Novena Bracelet (crystal) with nine beads for a Novena of prayer
Use the button below to order one bracelet ($42.95 plus Priority shipping in U.S.)
Use the button below to buy two for only $80.00 (plus Priority shipping in the U.S.) for both!
“Irish Blessings!” Prayer Novena Bracelet (white pearl and “Fancy Jasper”) with nine beads for a Novena of prayer
This third style features the “Fancy Jasper” semi-precious stones and touches of tiny green glass beads throughout. Saint Bridget is on the other side of the St. Patrick medal.
Use the button below to order one bracelet ($42.95 plus Priority shipping in U.S.)
Use the button below to buy two for only $80.00 (plus Priority shipping in the U.S.) for both!
“Irish Blessings!” Prayer Novena Bracelet (white pearl and “Fancy Jasper”) with nine beads for a Novena of prayer
This fourth style features the “Fancy Jasper” semi-precious stones and touches of tiny green glass beads throughout. Saint Bridget is on the other side of the St. Patrick medal.
Use the button below to order one bracelet ($42.95 plus Priority shipping in U.S.)
Use the button below to buy two for only $80.00 (plus Priority shipping in the U.S.) for both!
I don’t always think to put a Christmas card out for our mail carrier. After all, we have several carriers and also substitutes. How would I know to whom it would or should go? How many are needed? How would I address it?
Add to that, I wondered if the card would get lost in the shuffle and dropped into the post office mailbox by mistake. I had placed a bunch of Christmas cards in my mailbox to be mailed one day. On the top of that pile, I had placed the one without the postage stamp.
Well, I have a little story to share with you just a few days before Christmas. I’ll leave the gift wrapping and cleaning on hold for a few minutes so that I can tell you.
Yesterday, a mail truck pulled up in my driveway to deliver a heavy package. It was filled with the extra books I had sent back from Texas. You see, I was recently in San Antonio, Texas to present on Mary and the Eucharist. Any books that are left over from my book signing, I send back home.
The friendly and energetic young man came to my door. I greeted him and asked if there was another box as well. I had shipped two from Texas.
“No, just this one,” he said.
Then he added, “By the way, do you know my godparents, ‘so and so’?”
“Yes! I do? What made you think I’d know them?” I was a bit puzzled because they live about an hour’s distance away.
“Well, they told me that you were going to speak in ‘such and such place’ awhile back and I told them I thought that you were on my mail route!”
“Wow!” I think I said to him after learning this interesting “coincidence.” Suddenly a thought popped into my head. Did he find the card in our mailbox awhile back or someone else? Should I ask him? Maybe not, because he might not have been the one.
Before I could ask though, he said, “Thank you for the Christmas card and note, by the way.”
Ahh! I thought. He was the one that got the card.It didn’t get lost after all.
I had left a Christmas card addressed to “Our Mail Carrier” for whomever was going to find it. I included a monetary tip and a holy card. Even though the Christmas card I wrote out to him wouldn’t be “religious” (so as not to offend anyone), it did mention “Christmas.” And I couldn’t help but include a holy card, hoping it could be inspiring to whomever saw it. You never know … it could be just the message someone needs at this time of year.
Well, it gets even better. And that is why I have to pause from the “million” things I need to do today before Mass tonight so that I can share with you.
As you can see, this is not the one I wrote to him. But just showing you which card it was.
Our mail carrier made mention again about the card. He said he had been away from church for a while now and he knows he needs to get back. He said the holy card touched his heart.
AND, he happened to open my Christmas card in front of his Mother and her eyes caught sight of the holy card. She said, “You see!!!” She had been asking him to get back to church.
As you can imagine, my heart was rejoicing — so very happy that my little gesture of love could touch someone’s heart and that it meant something profound to him. He then told me he’d like to talk with me more.
I ran inside to get my business card to give to him so that he could get in touch. He then reminded me, “Well, I’ll see you again! I still have to deliver that second package!”
I didn’t want to delay him. No doubt, he had a busy day of deliveries ahead of him. We bid good bye and “Merry Christmas!” to one another.
As he headed to his mail truck, I couldn’t help myself. I shouted, “Listen to your Mother!”
He knew what I meant. He chuckled and he said, “Yes, Mothers always know what is best!”
Remember, dear Reader, your little acts of love go a very long way with God’s grace!
My two new books: “30 Marian Eucharistic Visits: Adoring Jesus with His Mother” (EWTN Publishing)
and “Diary of a Future Saint: Faustina’s Incredible Journey” (Marian Press) will air on EWTN television (in one 26-min. episode) on Sunday, Dec. 17th, 10 a.m. ET, with 3 re-airs, and it will be on “On Demand” as soon as the episode finishes the debut on Sunday a.m.
A quote below from my appearance on EWTN’s “Bookmark” show with regard to “30 Marian Eucharistic Visits.”
A brief description from EWTN: “Today’s guest offers inspired suggestions on what to pray about in Adoration, and a down-to-earth portrayal of St. Faustina, to whom Jesus entrusted the message of Divine Mercy.”
Enjoy at your leisure! And if you like it, please give it a “thumbs up” on Youtube!
I recently chatted with the Miracle Hunter. You can listen to our conversation: It is on the EWTN show page (aired 11/11/2023). Just click here and look for that date.
I recently chatted on the airwaves with Jon Leonetti on “The Catholic Morning Show” about my new book “30 Marian Eucharistic Visits: Adoring Jesus with His Mother.”
I recently had the pleasure and blessing of chatting with Teresa Tomeo on the airwaves on her show “Catholic Connection” on EWTN Radio. We chatted about my new book with EWTN Publishing: “30 Marian Eucharistic Visits: Adoring Jesus with His Mother.”
You can tune in to Part Two of my two part episodes with Johnnette B. Williams in EWTN’s “Women of Grace” discussing Eucharist Adoration and my new book “30 Marian Eucharistic Visits: Adoring Jesus with His Mother.” Check it out here.
Diary of a Future Saint: Faustina’s Incredible Journey
“Young children are capable of great holiness. This book will help them get there!”
— Ralph Martin, S.T.D., Director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Archdiocese of Detroit
Finally, the inspiring story of Saint Faustina for young readers!
Far from a mere gathering of historic details, this is an engaging and readable biography. In her personal, conversational style, Donna-Marie is simply telling the story of one of her favorite saints. It’s a compelling story and, as it unfolds, she invites her readers to think about their own relationship with Christ, offering them practical ways to model their lives on Faustina’s. Though geared primarily for young people, this is perhaps the fullest and richest biography of Saint Faustina and will be a great blessing for young and old alike.
— Vinny Flynn, best-selling author of 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy
Book description:
Born Helena Kowalska, a simple Polish peasant farm girl at the dawn of the 20th century, Faustina was chosen by God to teach the world about His unfathomable Divine Mercy. Though mocked, ridiculed, and unbelieved, she earnestly followed Jesus’ commands, the Blessed Mother’s instructions, and saintly wisdom to tread an amazing mystical journey, filled to overflowing with gifts and graces to glorify God. She went on to become one of the world’s most popular saints. Befriend this lovable, down-to-earth saint through the work of celebrated author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, an authority on the life of St. Fasutina and master storyteller, who presents St. Faustina’s life in this page-turning novel for all ages.
***
Buy your autographed copy here: $15.95 U.S./ dollars plus shipping.
For purchasing when outside the United States, order here: $15.95 plus shipping
Longer book description:
In Diary of a Future Saint, an authority on the life of St. Faustina, master storyteller, and celebrated author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, brings to life the incredible story of one of the world’s most popular saints, and according to St. John Paul II, “the great apostle of Divine Mercy in our time.”
This true biography reads like a page-turning novel and is written for ages ten and up. Helena Kowalska, once a poor Polish farm girl, whose family struggled during the years of World War I, perseveringly navigated many obstacles to follow her call to religious life. Even her pious parents stood in her way. One day, after a shocking visit from Jesus, Whom appeared covered in blood, the startled young aspirant fled to the nearby church, eventually eloping with Jesus in order to finally enter the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s.
Crossing over the threshold to religious life was an arduous journey for Helena, whom experienced crippling blows when doors shut in her face by the congregations that deemed her undesirable. With less than three years of formal education under her belt, Helena was considered to be no-one special, from a low rung of society. Therefore, when the door at the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy finally opened to her, the Sisters placed Helena in the “second choir” or class of nuns, responsible for the domestic duties.
Yet, it was there among the pots and pans, the dirty laundry, the vegetable gardens, and beggars at the gate where Jesus communed with His little bride. Helena, whom was later named Sister Maria Faustina, would flourish in the spiritual life hidden behind a cloak of humility. Saint Faustina received many graces and gifts (such as a hidden stigmata, visions, revelations, the gift of contemplation, bilocation, levitation, reading human souls, a gift of prophesy, deep knowledge of God’s mercy and of the Blessed Trinity, and mystical espousal). However, she never let on to anyone, with the exception of her directors, that Jesus Himself was instructing her to tell the world about His unfathomable Divine Mercy.
Divine Mercy is not a new revelation, for God has always been merciful. Yet, Heaven saw fit that Divine Mercy would be revealed in a new way. On the evening of February 22, 1931, Sr. Faustina was in her cell when Jesus appeared to her in the image of the Divine Mercy, which took her breath away! Jesus gave her explicit instructions in propagating His image and His promises to those who venerate the image. The young visionary also communed with the Blessed Mother, whom also guided her.
Early in religious life, Sr. Faustina’s Guardian Angel escorted her to Purgatory where she learned the need to pray for the holy souls. She also experienced Hell and all its chasms and observed many unspeakable torments. She learned that almost all souls perishing in Hell were ones who did not believe in Hell’s existence while on Earth. Sister Faustina had many enthralling experiences with holy angels and dreaded demons. Jesus asked Sr. Faustina to record her experiences, which she hand wrote in notebooks. Today, St. Faustina’s writings are known as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska.
Saint Faustina’s Diary is God’s loving message of Divine Mercy for our world. Though Helena Kowalska was considered to be insignificant and uneducated, she was obedient to God’s designs on her soul and eventually raised to the altar as a canonized saint, Jesus’ “Secretary and Apostle of Divine Mercy.” Faustina’s humble faith and trust in God gives us great hope for our own lives.
“Have you ever considered that you may well be part of God’s plan in bringing restoration and hope to others, healing and new life?
And have you ever considered that perhaps your sufferings and trials are the means God uses to fill you with His divine life that you might be that font of mercy for another?
Well, it’s not just possible, it is plausible. And here to tell us how God has used her travail to be a source of grace for others is our guest, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle.”
Here is Part 3 of my visits with Johnnette B. Williams on her “Women of Grace” show on the EWTN television network. You can see it by clicking here.
Here’s the description from the “Women of Grace” website:
“As we have come to discover, no one is immune from suffering, especially those seeking holiness of life and working in the service of the Lord.
It seems that it is in the crucible of tribulation that the greatest of saints are made. And, when they are in that crucible, they strive to find the spiritual benefit as well as God’s will – what am I to do, Lord? What is your will?
Today, we will look at the trial of marital discord and divorce with our guest, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle.”
Here is Part 1 of my 5-part mini-series with Johnnette Benkovic Williams in discussing my memoir “The Kiss of Jesus” and the spiritual life, particularly the crosses in our life. You can click here to watch Part 1.
Here’s the description from the Women of Grace website:
“The common denominator of the human experience is suffering. We all experience it to greater or lesser degree, and if we haven’t experienced it yet, it is sure to come. After all, we live in a broken and fallen world surrounded by broken and fallen people.
So the question ought not to be. “Will I suffer?” We are assured of that. Rather the question ought to be, “What will I do when I suffer?” And the way we answer that question makes all the difference in the world.
This week’s guest on Women of Grace answered that question not once in her life, but many times over. And what she discovered was the cross, when embraced, holds abundant and beautiful treasures. In this 5 Part Women of Grace series, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle will share with us how to Discover the Beauty of the Cross.”
My visits with Johnnette B. Williams are airings this week on EWTN’s “Women of Grace” television.
The description for the series
“The common denominator of the human experience is suffering. We all experience it to greater or lesser degree, and if we haven’t experienced it yet, it is sure to come. After all, we live in a broken and fallen world surrounded by broken and fallen people.
So the question ought not to be. “Will I suffer?” We are assured of that. Rather the question ought to be, “What will I do when I suffer?” And the way we answer that question makes all the difference in the world.
This week’s guest on Women of Grace answered that question not once in her life, but many times over. And what she discovered was the cross, when embraced, holds abundant and beautiful treasures. In this 5 Part Women of Grace series, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle will share with us how to Discover the Beauty of the Cross.”
Part 1 through Part 5 airing all week this week on EWTN television (1:00 PM and 11:00 PM Eastern)
Always a blessing to visit with Johnnette Benkovic!
“The Kiss of Jesus” is #4 in Biographies of Catholicism
By the way, Amazon just posted that my memoir “The Kiss of Jesus” is right now #4 in Biographies of Catholicism!
Number 4 right now on Amazon in Biographies of Catholicism!
You can get your autographed copy here!
A great Lenten read. You can order your autographed copy here.
Do you believe in Angels? I do. Of course, Angels are real.
I’ve studied them, I’ve written about them, and have even experienced them. Angels are mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. I also wrote a book about Angels (“Angels for Kids“). We are all blessed to have our own Guardian Angel to accompany us through life.
Incidentally, Father Andrew Apostoli, CFR had me on his show “Sunday Night Prime” twice to discuss the holy Angels. I’ll post about that soon (and come back here at some point to leave links to the shows — check below under my signature). I don’t have an assistant or anyone that helps me with the work, so it may take a while — I’m not complaining, I do have help from my amazing Guardian Angel!
Truth be told, I don’t really have time to write this blog post, but if I don’t do so now, it might never be shared. We are about one week away from Christmas. As I type these words, I am battling a migraine. It’s a dreary wet cold day here in New England. I can’t even get the fire started properly, as there are too many ashes in the wood stove. We need to make some time to clean them out.
I haven’t had time to decorate much for Christmas and I have only stolen away a few hours recently to begin my Christmas shopping. I have been busy with life and with book writing. I am on a tight deadline for an important biography I am currently writing. Plus, my husband got very sick right after Thanksgiving and ended up in the ER one night due to a very low oxygen level.
Thanks be to God, he turned a corner and is doing very well now. I asked Jesus to please (if it was according to His holy will) spare me of the dreaded virus so that I could take care of my husband and also try to continue on with other responsibilities.
Thanks be to God again, Jesus spared me. It was a true miracle in my humble opinion. Trust me. I was endlessly coughed upon and exposed to it by a couple of other “positive” people for a number of days in close proximity, and then the 24/7 care of my husband (for about 2 weeks).
God has His reasons for everything and I am singing His praises for taking such good care of us. All the while, we are and have been praying for so many other people who are sick or suffering in some way. The ministry of helping others in need is very busy at this time.
But let me get to the point of this sharing with you …
As I mentioned, I have that very tight book deadline. Actually, it was due yesterday! Thanks to my kind and understanding publisher, I have a bit more time to complete the manuscript. However, yesterday, I was working away on it (with a migraine) and suddenly the manuscript was completely gone! Yes, I said, “gone!” It had mysteriously disappeared!
The only document that resembled the manuscript was a much shorter one that had given me trouble earlier on in the writing process, so I had copied the work I had done on there thus far, and transferred it to another document where I have been writing ever since — AND saving my work every few minutes in various places (drives) due to having had lost a bunch of important work in the past (when the hard drive on my fairly new computer totally crashed and was not retrievable). 🙁
Even with saving my work constantly, the manuscript disappeared! I’m sure you can imagine the fear that began rushing through my veins! This was months of work. All the while, I was trusting God that He would help me — somehow — that no matter what, all would be well — eventually.
My cell phone was just about dead, so, I picked up the land line phone (which had been out of order for a couple of days, but was suddenly working!) and I called a technician. I knew from past experience that I had to be very careful. I needed to get immediate help because if I did the wrong thing, I could lose the entire manuscript for good. I was getting confusing messages on the screen of my computer and every single option offered was not good — at all!
After some initial delay with the automated communication, I finally got a real person on the phone, someone with whom I would try to explain my situation and whom would hopefully and prayerfully be able to help me. Please God! I prayed.
“Hello, my name is Angel …”
“Hello my name is Angel. May I ask your name?”
You can probably imagine my surprise and delight to be speaking with someone named Angel! God is pretty amazing like that!
Well, there is just so much to the story and I don’t want keep you hanging, but I need to be a bit brief so that I can get back to my work.
In a nutshell, Angel was a true Godsend! We had the most amazing conversation. He ended up telling me that he served in the military for a number of years and that he always counts his blessings and continues to put his “life into the hand of the MAN above.” That really told me something about him.
Well, it took almost 2 hours to fix the problem and thank God it is fixed now. The last few minutes (or more!), we shared with one another about our Faith in God and even about writing. You see, this man has a book in him, just wanting to be written.
I believe God put me in Angel’s life yesterday to encourage him to write the book that has been on his heart for years now. And God certainly put him into my life to inspire Faith in my own heart and to give to me this story to share with you (not to mention the fact that Angel had saved my book)!
I told Angel that I was so delighted when I heard him tell me his name at the beginning of what would be a truly blessed conversation — one I won’t forget.
One more thing! Last evening, I swept up some piles of dirt and pieces of bark from fire wood that my husband had brought into the house, and I headed to the kitchen to get our dinner going. Right then, broom and dust pan in hand, I literally stopped in my tracks.
“Wow!” I said out loud, entering the kitchen.
It had suddenly dawned on me that I had been working on the chapter about ANGELS (and demons) when my book manuscript disappeared and all of the above happened! I hadn’t thought about that when I was in the midst of trying to save my book.
Pretty amazing!
I’ll add quickly here that during our phone conversation, I offered to give Angel my email address in case he wanted to get in touch about his future book (so I could encourage him :)) and he said he couldn’t take that over the phone since the phone call was being recorded by the company, etc. So, since we were “screen sharing” at that moment, I punched in my website and it popped up. I told him he could find out how to reach out to me through my website.
He was amazed as he looked at my website.
I wish I could tell him that one last thing, though … because I know he would think it was pretty amazing — and that is that I was actually writing about the Angels just moments before He, (Angel!) answered the phone and helped me with my huge problem. Maybe he will see this blog post. 🙂
Well, my dear Reader, please pray for my writing. I best get back to it now. I just wanted to share this with you.
Stay safe and well. Take your vitamins! I can’t help it, it’s the MOM in me! Keep praying and counting your blessings. Give God’s love to others. They surely need it, especially at this time of year.
Look at this sweet 4-year old enjoying making my Advent cookie recipe from my new book Christmas Joy with Grandma! with her Grandma! Her photo sent to me by her Grandmother and used with permission.
Create your memories Moms and Grandmoms!
Click on book cover to learn more and to order your autographed copy
