Last week Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC spoke at the Valley Forge Convention Center and shared the story of his life and miraculous conversion. Afterward he signed copies of his book No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy (2010).
Fr. Donald's writ
ten account of his very troubled youth and subsequent encounter with the mercy of God through our Blessed Mother is so compelling, readers will find it difficult to put the book down.We get a sense of what Father Donald's early life was like from chapter titles that include "Animal," "Burning Down the House," "The Divine 2 x 4," and "Surfer Priest."
The effects of years of reckless drug and alcohol use and criminal activity had him bound and chained by the forces of evil. Then early one morning he literally ran in search of a Catholic priest and found himself at Holy Mass. During the Consecration he heard a voice say to him, twice, "Worship!"
More extraordinary than reading his personal testimony of the tremendous love and mercy of God that saved him from disaster was hearing Fr. Donald speak about it all in person.
Fr. Donald is a powerful witness to the fact thatGod loves each one of us so very much,
and
reminds us that every single person has a mission.
He assures us that there is hope for everyone,
that prayer works (so don't stop praying!),
and that we have a most loving Mother in the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Our Lady of Victory.
The audience was captivated by his down-to-earth approach and engaging ability to tell it like it is (in my teen son's words) that had us laughing so hard we cried and also had us crying because we were touched so deeply by the man, his mission, and the immeasurable and eternal love of God always available to us.
Fr. Donald gives his moving testimonyof Divine Mercy at work in his soul.
Fr. Donald spoke very poignantly on man's search for happiness, a topic he also wrote about in his book. "I had put a lot of different things on my tongue looking for happiness. I had drunk a lot of different liquids looking for that eternal high, something that was more, something that would satisfy me forever. Here was the answer. God! And He had penetrated my world through the Virgin Mary and had drawn me to Himself and invited me to partake of His very self, the food that brings eternal life. And the drink that sustains. I was totally blown away." 1
We spoke briefly with Fr. Donald after his lecture. As I looked into the eyes of this remarkable Marian priest who is sharing the love and mercy of God in such a powerful way, I would add that in addition he has gone from also using his sense of sight, which once sought the elusive joy the world promises and cannot sustain, to now look into the eyes of his flock made up of all of humanity and shepherd us toward true joy which is found only in the eternal love of God.
Catholic authorsFr. Donald Calloway,
Andre, Nick, Alyssa Bottesi,
& Michele Bondi Bottesi
at the Catholic Marketing Network International Trade Show
in Pennsylvania August, 2010.
One of my favorite parts of No Turning Back is his mother's letter,
which concludes the book.
She wrote,
"God, I love the boy who became a man
ordained by mercy and grace
to do God's will."2
which concludes the book.
She wrote,
"God, I love the boy who became a man
ordained by mercy and grace
to do God's will."2
If you have not read No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, be sure to get it, read it, and pass it around! God's love changes lives.
For more information, please visit: http://www.fathercalloway.com/
God is at work in you.
_______________________Sources:
1. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2010), p. 172.
2. IBID, p. 263.
Cover of the book copyright 2010 Marian Press.
All other photos copyright 2010 JKP.
