By Matt Abbott
Op/Ed
Catholic Online

Zelie Redmond, a mother of three children, ages 10, 8 and 6, hopes the Catholic children’s book series she’s authoring will plant a seed in the children reading them – a seed that might blossom into a vocation to the religious life.

Redmond heads The Joy of My Youth Publications (www.thejoyofmyyouth.com) and is the author of The Adventures of Sister Regina Marie, a book series which, according to Redmond’s Web site, “is a humble attempt to bring the knowledge of vocations to this impressionable age of five-to-eight-year-old girls. Over this series of books, the girls will see the nuns at chores, at recreation, in the classroom, at Compline, on field trips ~ all the while, showing their deep love of God through their cheerful faces and their loving instructions to their students.”

Redmond told me, via e-mail:

“[My children] are taught by nuns, so that's where my inspiration for the book came. I see the nuns playing with the children and teaching the children such profound lessons, doing God's work in helping save souls, but using the St. John Bosco approach of presenting the love of God with a joyful demeanor. I wish all children could have the same education, which led me to think I wish we had more nuns and priests. That's when I thought of doing the book.”

The mission of The Joy of My Youth Publications is, according to the Web site, “to humbly assist in the battle cry of one of our beloved saints, St. Pius X, ‘to restore all things in Christ,’ by showing the rich, glorious treasures to be found in the priesthood and vocations to the religious life; to plant the seeds that, with God's mercy, will bring back the glory days of the Church when good, holy priests in their cassocks, joyful, dedicated nuns in their habits, and dedicated, humble brothers, also in their habits, may be seen everywhere in our towns, on our streets, and in our schools and churches.

“Let us pray that our Blessed Mother will keep our priests, nuns, and brothers close to Her Son's Sacred Heart and strengthen and preserve them in the holy vocations to which they have been called by God.”

The first book in the series, Sister Regina Marie Finds a Friend, can be ordered here: (shop.thejoyofmyyouth.com)

(Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic journalist and commentator. He is a columnist for and/or contributor to Catholic Online, TheConservativeVoice.com, RenewAmerica.us, MichNews.com, Opeds.com and Speroforum.com. He can be reached at mattcabbott@gmail.com)

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