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Lenten Book Study: Journey to Joy: Reflections on the 7 Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lenten Book Study

Journey to Joy: Reflections on the 7 Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By, Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, L.C.

Book Study led by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

7 Weeks, Mondays, February 23rd - April 6th, 7:30-8:30pm ET

**Weekly Instruction Emails, Assigned Reading and Questions for Reflection, Instructor Led Weekly Discussion

How can joy and sorrow go together? After all, you usually don’t find grieving widows laughing, nor newlyweds weeping. Joy and sorrow are so far removed from each other on the spectrum of human emotion that it seems illogical to stick them together. Yet there is a deep mystery here to unlock… Your life has sorrows. You are meant for joy. Facing the reality of sorrow, we can either live in denial of the pain or dig deeper for meaning… and joy. In contemplating the seven sorrows of the Mother of Jesus, we can discover what so many Christians over the centuries have found: in Mary’s sorrows we find a model of faith and how to discover happiness in the midst of suffering. A way to transform sadness into gladness? That is revolutionary! Discovering Mary’s method for converting sorrow to joy may just be the single most important step in your spiritual life. Launch into these pages and begin your journey to joy: to the meaning, peace, and happiness for which you thirst.

Join Susan Brinkmann as she leads us through this Seven-Week Book Study this Lent!

(Book must be purchased separately.)

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• Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

  Susan Brinkmann, O.C.D.S., is an author and award-winning journalist is a member of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites. She serves as Director of New Age Research for Women of Grace® and is a frequent guest on EWTN’s Women of Grace® television show. She is the founder of Live Catholic, an educational nonprofit devoted to teaching authentic Catholic prayer in the Carmelite tradition to the faithful. Susan formerly worked as a Correspondent for the Catholic Standard & Times, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

  For the last 10 years she has been the lead researcher for Women of Grace’s New Age Q&A Blog which is the largest blog of its kind in the world. The library of information now exceeds 1600 entries on everything from acupuncture and angels to wicca and yoga.

  She has also authored seventeen books, including The Learn to Discern Compendium: Is It Christian or New Age which has an imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Avila Institute published her book, A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness which educates the Catholic faithful about the Buddhist practice of mindfulness and how it differs from authentic Catholic spirituality, teaching and thought. Along with Johnnette Williams, she co-authored the Young Women of Grace Study Program which teaches girls ages 13+ what it means to be authentically feminine. Susan’s Like a Catholic series which introduces Carmelite spirituality to the faithful. This series includes Pray Like a Catholic, Live Like a Catholic, Mindful Like a Catholic, and Fight Like a Catholic, all of which have imprimaturs from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Her daily devotional, entitled Day by Day in the Little Way: 365 Reflections on the Teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux introduces devotees to the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood.

  In the fall of 2024, Viident Publications launched Susan’s new series of Catholic women’s novels entitled The Chronicles of Ariella, a gripping saga of murder, romance and redemption that spans six novels and 2000 years of Church history.

  Her national journalism awards include the Bernadine-O’Connor Award for Pro-Life Journalism, the Eileen Egan Journalism Award from Catholic Relief Services, and numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association and the Philadelphia Press Association.