Praise for A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness

by Claire Dwyer

The work of author Susan Brinkmann to inform faithful Catholics about mindfulness has received an enthusiastic endorsement from a spiritual leader at EWTN. Mindfulness is an increasingly popular but dangerous Eastern meditative practice which is contrary to authentic Christian spirituality.

Fr. Paschal Mary, MFVA is Vocation Director for the Missionaries of the Eternal Word and Administrator of the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.  Recently, he  thoughtfully expressed his appreciation for the book A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness and for the mission of the Avila Institute:

Thank you for the gift of the book earlier this year as we sat down to plan for the Avila Summit. I sat down with A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness this afternoon and was encouraged by Susan’s insightful presentation. I was struck by the difference the soul makes and how narcissistic (even nihilistic in a sense)  mindfulness is. Her chapters on Christian prayer I wish were much longer as they were so beautiful – because He is so wonderful and good to us. 

 

Keep up the good work with the Avila Institute. It is much needed. 

Peace,

Fr Paschal

Fr. Paschal Mary, MFVA

Brinkmann’s book is an invaluable resource for Church leaders and all Catholics seeking to know and follow the truth about the spiritual life.  If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and it’s origins and effects, you can find A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness here.

To hear an interview with Susan Brinkmann about the book on Divine Intimacy Radio Resources Edition, click here.

Claire Dwyer

Mom, Wife, Interior Life — that’s it in a nutshell.

Claire’s been devouring books and pouring the words back out again longer than she can remember. It’s where her love of God and the Catholic faith finds its fullest expression.

Claire graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Theology, has a certification in Spiritual Theology from the Avila Institute, and a certification in Spiritual Direction from St. Vincent Seminary’s Institute of Ministry Formation.

Her roles as mother, mentor, spiritual writer, editor of spiritualdirection.com, and lifelong student of the interior life all came together in her first book, "This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity." She is also the author of Blessed is She's Advent study, In Time: Living in the Now and Not Yet" and a contributor to their daily devotionals, and has written a book on St. Edith Stein set to release January of 2027.

She has a passion, through writing and speaking, for helping the faithful to see the beauty and possibility of their own interior lives and their unrepeatable place in the Church, and for Catholic writers in particular to be encouraged and formed in their writing journey. To that end, she is co-founder and content director of Write These Words and the PraiseWriters Catholic Writing Membership Community.

Most importantly, she has been married for almost 28 years to her husband Delaney and they have six children and two grandsons.

Connect and keep in touch with her at ClaireDwyer.com. You can also read about spirituality for the Catholic writer on her Substack, Word and Silence. 

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