Let me take you on a journey through my memories, a journey filled with despair, yet brimming with hope. I'm one of the children of a cacodemonic (demon-possessed) biological dad. My memoirs are both gripping and inspirational. They chronicle my life from when I asked Jesus into my heart, at the tender age of sixteen (after living on the streets for two years), to the birth of all four of my children and my dad's funeral. My prequel will take the reader deeper into my childhood""from my birth to my sixteenth year of life. I believe these books are important because they shed a much-needed light on the sensitive subjects of neglect and abuse from a firsthand eyewitness. I hope and pray that they'll become a valuable resource for others like me and for the people who love them and are trying to help. For those of you who've also suffered the pain of neglect and abuse, I'd like to say, "I'm sorry." Nobody on earth will ever fully understand your pain. That's God's job! Jesus became a man so that He could walk in our shoes, and He suffered horribly on the cross, willingly to save us from ourselves and this world. He can save you, but only if you let Him!

Mother St. Andrew Feltin, a Sister of Divine Providence of St. Jean-de-Bassel, France, came to Texas in 1866 at the invitation of Bishop Claude Dubuis. While Superior of the Texas branch of the French-based congregation, the Congregation opened schools in twenty Texas towns, providing the first parochial school system for the Dioceses of Galveston and San Antonio.Deposed as Superior General of her fledgling Texas Congregation by Bishop John Neraz of San Antonio, Mother St. Andrew left her identity as a religious to accompany her newly widowed brother and seven of his children to San Jose, California. There she raised the youngest children, supporting the family by establishing a grocery store.Aged and frail, Mother returned to Castroville in 1900, where she rejoined her beloved Congregation. She died in 1905.The Tattered Heart traces Mother's life as a young religious in France where she taught in three Alsatian villages, her journey to America, the establishment of the Texas motherhouse at Castroville, Texas, and her twenty years as the first Superior General of the Sisters of Divine Providence of Texas.A woman of deep trust in our Provident God, Mother St. Andrew inspires her daughters even today.

A source of comfort for anyone who has ever grieved the death of a spouse and asked "Why?"

Witness the wonder of divine power when faith in God overcomes human frailty!Broken Bodies, Healing Hearts: Reflections of a Hospital Chaplain provides chaplains, doctors, nurses, psychologists, and counselors with insight into the experiences of individual hospital patients. You'll learn of the suffering that they endure, and what patients and caretakers can learn about themselves and God through their ordeals. This is a wonderful collection of descriptive, personal, and heartfelt essays, each derived from a visit with a particular patient. These episodes demonstrate the wonder of divine strength manifested in human frailty. You'll see the spiritual aspects of both significant and common events, inspiring you to contemplate and appreciate all of your life experiences. Broken Bodies, Healing Hearts will help you unravel daily questions and problems and encourage you to seek God's eminent presence in all of your experiences.This intriguing collection demonstrates what it means to be human and what it means to be made in God's likeness. You will explore the heartwrenching struggles of unique individuals, such as: Jimmy Meyer, a three-year-old toddler with a terminal brain tumor, who takes each day for whatever it could offer him. His simple trust teaches us all to grow in our faith and seek the child within ourselves Mr. Nelson, who after suffering a heart attack and facing the possibility of death, recounts how the experience served to turn his life from one of anger and resentment to one of peace and freedom, reminding us all of the healing power of grace when we are willing to receive it Martha Claxton, a fifty-eight-year-old woman battling leukemia. In finally letting go she experiences God's eternal security, inviting each of us to surrender our lives to the One who knows our every need Ms. May, a thirty-eight-year-old with Down's Syndrome, who touches all those whom she comes in contact with. Her ability to live fully in the present moment reminds us that whatever is happening now is worth our undivided attentionEnlightening and moving, Broken Bodies, Healing Hearts reveals the presence of God in the lives of patients, chaplains, and all those who care for others. You will discover the connection between human vulnerability and spiritual growth.

Nautilus Book Awards 2022 Silver Award Winner in Religion/Spirituality of Western Thought “In The Divine Heart, Colette Lafia invites us to enter the vastness and intimacy of God’s love, offering seven simple yet powerful ways to deepen our awareness and open our hearts. This small book with a big heart shows us how to live in the flow of Divine love.” — Richard Rohr, author of The Universal Christ, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation “During these turbulent times, we need the steadying voice of feminine wisdom more urgently than ever. In this luminous book, spiritual guide Colette Lafia offers the fruits of her tenderly cultivated inner life to feed people of all genders who thirst for a direct encounter with the embodiment of love, which she recognizes as our own true nature.” — Mirabai Starr, translator of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, author of Wild Mercy In The Divine Heart, spiritual director Colette Lafia shows how we can live in an ever-flowing love relationship with God, realizing that God is in us and we are in God. Beautifully expressed, sharing examples of her own journey, The Divine Heart offers seven “invitations” that can awaken us to this abundant flow of love at the core of our being. Weaving prayers and practices, along with relevant contemporary and mystical teachings, Colette Lafia invites us to explore how connecting to Divine love helps us trust our own spiritual experiences and inspires us toward hope, healing, and wholeness. The Divine Heart is a timely offering, outlining ways we can integrate loss and pain, and renew ourselves in the power and presence of love.