‘It’s been a great journey’
MOORESVILLE — Father Mark Lawlor has been writing down humorous insights and valuable lessons he has learned over the past 30 years. He compiled them into a book, “Lessons & Stories From the Journey: Reflections From The Life of a Joyful Priest,” and it has soared to the top of the charts on Amazon for books written by clergy.
The pastor of St. Therese Church admits the book was a labor of love that has taken him decades to bring to fruition. His inspiration was a book he found in the library at St. Meinrad Seminary: “The Lord and I: Vignettes From the Life of a Parish Priest,” by Father Vincent Fecher.
“I started over 30 years ago, writing down some insights and experiences. I started in seminary taking notes with the idea that I would finish it someday,” Father Lawlor explains.
He says the occasion of his 60th birthday was the catalyst for finally finishing the work.
“This book is not scholarly, but it is from the heart,” he says.
The process of writing the book was a positive experience, he says. “I laughed and I cried. It was good for me to share my experience, my transition from an engineer to priestly formation, then as a parish priest for the last 27 years.”
Father Lawlor dedicated the book to three important women in his life who have passed away: his sister, his mother and his grandmother. There are also chapters in the book that pay tribute to people who have had a profound influence on his life and his vocation.
There is a chapter to the late Bishop William G. Curlin, the third bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. Bishop Curlin ordained Father Lawlor to the transitional diaconate in 1994 and to the priesthood in June 1995. He was a dear friend and mentor to Father Lawlor, visiting him at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte often in the years when Father Lawlor served as pastor there. Father Lawlor was among the priests who prayed the rosary at Bishop Curlin’s bedside before he passed away on Dec. 23, 2017.
“Bishop Curlin always lived the priesthood in the way Pope St. John Paul II expressed: ‘The priest does not live for himself, but for the Church and for the sanctification of the People of God,’” Father Lawlor says.
The book’s theme, he emphasizes, is that he considers himself an unlikely candidate for the priesthood. He marvels at all the grace and joy the Lord has poured out upon him since he answered the call to become a priest.
“It’s been a great journey! Life is a journey, and we hopefully learn things as we go.”
—SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Get a copy
Get a copyFather Mark Lawlor’s book, “Lessons & Stories From the Journey: Reflections From the Life of a Joyful Priest,” is available from Amazon.
One act of kindness
A local Catholic school teacher’s experiences with generosity inspired her to pen “The Story of One,” a children’s book which illustrates just how far one small act of kindness can go. (Book cover art provided by Meghan Hader)CHARLOTTE — It took over seven years for St. Gabriel School fifth-grade teacher Meghan Hader to pen her first children’s book, “The Story of One.”
“It started out as a poem, and then more and more stanzas and ideas came to me,” Hader says.
As with any good book, there is a story behind the story, and this book is no exception.
Hader, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been teaching at St. Gabriel School for the past 14 years. She shares “Feel Good Friday” videos with her class each week that offer inspirational or funny stories highlighting a positive message.
During the 2014-’15 school year, she shared a video about a Cincinnati Bengals football player, Devon Still, whose daughter, Leah, had just been diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer.
“At the end of the video, it showed that the Cincinnati Bengals were selling Still’s jersey for $100, and all proceeds were going to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital,” Hader recalls. “One of my students raised his hand and said, ‘I think we should get one for the class.’”
Hader says the student went to his lunch box and pulled out roughly $2. A few other students followed suit, and by the end of the day the class had about $9 toward the jersey.
“Without prompting, the students must have talked after school because the next day, over $130 showed up on my desk,” Hader recounts. “I still proudly have our class jersey displayed behind my desk from that class of 2014-’15.”
Hader believes that this simple act of giving on behalf of her students, in helping a child they would never meet, prompted her story writing.
“I just wanted to illustrate just how far one small idea can go,” she explains. “It was easy to fill in the rest of the pages (of my book) from other wonderful things I have seen through teaching, through my family, and just in everyday life.”
Hader says she doesn’t plan on a second book but hopes the universal message of doing or giving “just one” continues to carry on.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Get a copy
Meghan Hader’s book, “The Story of One,” is available online from Amazon, Target or Warren Publishing, or in Charlotte at Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road, in the Park Road Shopping Center.