I hope everyone had a wonderful, sparkling Christmas and New Year!  I can’t believe it’s 2013 already.

Today, I’d like to introduce Pat Gohn.  She is the author of Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood.  The book will be available March 25th from Ave Maria Press.  Currently, it can be pre-ordered. (It should also be available as an e-book in late March or so.)

I asked Pat what led her to write this book, and she drew my attention to her delightful and engaging introduction. Let’s face it, as a guy, I was a little apprehensive about this topic–at first.  Pat’s fresh and vibrant writing style, however, immediately captured my attention.  She describes becoming aware of a need for Catholic women to better understand their worth and value as conveyed through the Church.

Too often, for instance, we hear stay-at-home moms derisively dismissed by our culture as unimportant–when the truth is the opposite!  This is an important topic in our culture (and in our parishes), and it’s encouraging to see a book meaningfully address it.

I’ll end this short profile with one of my favorite quotes from Pat’s introduction.

Bodaciousness is maternity magnified. Bodacious women are those whose lives have the most purpose and meaning when they give their love away and when their love takes shape in others. These are the women who embody physical or spiritual motherhood. Often they embody both. They live and lead from a place of empowering love.  Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood Ave Maria Press, 2013

About the Author

(From Amazon)

Pat Gohn is a popular Catholic writer, speaker, and host of the Among Women podcast, affiliated with the Star Quest Production Network (SQPN). At the forefront of Catholic media, Gohn writes regular columns at Patheos, CatholicMom.com, and Amazing Catechists, and has contributed to Faith & Family Live, Catholic Exchange, and many other sites.
Gohn’s areas of expertise are faith formation and women’s ministry. She holds a master’s degree in theology and Christian ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville, plus certificates in adult faith formation leadership and theology of the body from the University of Dayton and the Theology of the Body Institute respectively. She has led parish-based ministries for over thirty years, including service in the largest church in the Archdiocese of Boston. Gohn’s media company, Behold Communications, produces Catholic content for catechetical publications, commercial and non-profit clients, and voice-overs for radio, Internet, and audio books. Gohn and her husband live in Massachusetts and have three grown children. 

Karl Erickson resides in Salem, Oregon with his wife and children. He considers himself primarily a fiction author. Tristan's Travels was published by Rafka Press in late 2010. Kimberly Erickson is its wonderful illustrator. Toupee Mice is currently available for pre-order. In addition to writing fiction, his articles have appeared in America, The National Catholic Weekly, Catholic Answers' This Rock, Church Music Association of America’s Musica Sacra, Catholicmom.com, Episcopal Church News, Seattle Pacific University's Response, TiberRiver Catholic Book Reviews, as well as a guest opinion writer for both the Portland Tribune and Statesman Journal. In Karl’s "spare time," he works as a number cruncher for the State of Oregon. He has recently started work on a mystery novel, which is set primarily between Seattle and Friday Harbor. The book should be unveiled within a couple years, or so. Earlier this year, Karl begun a blog entitled The Singing in the Wood. In addition to blog essays on a variety of timely themes and topics, he enjoys sharing interviews of interesting and inspiring personalities--from Sean Astin to Raymond Arroyo and (the "Catholic Guy") Lino Rulli. For a taste of the zany, check out Karl's other (very silly) blog, The Restless Auditor!

2 Replies to “Meet the Member — Pat Gohn”

  1. Thanks for the write-up, Karl. I’ve been blessed by the people I’ve met thru the CWG and its conferences. I want to encourage others to join who may be considering it.

  2. Thanks for the write up, Karl! I’ve benefitted from my association with the CWG. I’m grateful for its mission and want to encourage others to join.

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