If you're wondering what my next book is about...

Today is the perfect day -- on this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- to announce the topic of my next book -- a biography of Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, a Sacred Heart of Jesus Sister from Uganda.

The book will be part of the wonderful series from Liturgical Press, "People of God" -- click here to see their other titles. 

Please pray for me as I run towards the finish line to complete writing the manuscript about this inspiring woman? -- and look for my article about her in the upcoming August issue of St. Anthony Messenger!

For now, here's a taste... introducing Sister Rosemary, from my writings:

Rosemary Nyirumbe, the youngest girl of eight children, was born and raised in a small village of huts with grass roofs within Paidha, West Nile, located so close to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that children cross the border to attend school in the neighboring country. It is 122 miles and over three hours on dirt roads from Gulu, where Sister Rosemary now lives. 

She laughs often, and heartily, as she explains how most members of her tribe, the Alur, are like her—short and robust. While their neighbors in Gulu, the Acholi, are lean and tall. 

Yet the same woman who jokes about her 5’ stature has also shaken hands with foreign presidents, kings, and NBA stars. Rome Reports described her last year as, “the Mother Teresa of Africa.”  

She is one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” (2014). She is subject of the book “Sewing Hope,” and a documentary by the same name, narrated by Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker (2013). She received the United Nations Impact Award and has been named a CNN Hero. She even had a song written in her honor, “Touched by a Rose,” by JAIA. 

But for “baby sister,” as her brothers, sisters and family still call her, speaking engagements and awards are simply platforms to tell her story. “I have the great opportunity to speak on behalf of people who cannot speak for themselves.”