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Author and TAC Regent Kimberly Begg with Vice President for Advancement James Link on the New England campus in 2019
Author and TAC Regent Kimberly Begg with Vice President for Advancement James Link on the New England campus in 2019

淢any Catholics don檛 understand that at critical times in their lives, doing God檚 will means choosing Christ over the comforts and approval of the world, says Kimberly Begg. The mother of five, veteran attorney, and member of 91快活林 Aquinas College檚 Washington, D.C., Board of Regents hopes to encourage fellow Catholics to 渁ct like Catholics in the world with her new book, , available July 25.

Unbreakable is unique because it檚 not just a book about the lives of saints, explains Mrs. Begg. 淚t檚 a book about saints inspiring saints. While researching for a project about Bl. Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish priest martyred for his resistance to Communism, she learned that Bl. Jerzy檚 favorite saint, from boyhood onward, was St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan martyr of Auschwitz. 淭he idea for the book grew out of that discovery.

Recounting the lives of four saints (St. Joan of Arc, St. Jos茅 Luis S谩nchez del R铆o, Bl. Jerzy Popie艂uszko, and St. Teresa of Calcutta), Mrs. Begg examines how each of these holy men and women nurtured their faith by imitating their forebears in sanctity. 淚 believe the saints in the book chose me, not the other way around, she reflects. 淚 believe they wanted their stories to be told in a way that honored their favorite saints and highlighted moments of courage in their lives not to glorify their own efforts, but to inspire Catholics to suffer and sacrifice for Christ, joyfully.

But Unbreakable is more than a celebration of the Church檚 heroic men and women: It is a call to action. Mrs. Begg wants to embolden Catholic families to 渓ive their faith confidently and courageously as they make their way on the narrow path that leads to heaven. In particular, she hopes that the book will help Catholic parents 渢o be more intentional about filling their children檚 imaginations with good stories intended to inspire greatness; stories that make children want to 榖e perfect, just as [their] heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).

If advance praise is any indication, will resound in readers hearts. 淏egg檚 book encourages every pilgrim pursuing holiness to be inspired by the true friendship we can have with the saints even now as we long to join them in the eternal happiness of God, says Rev. 91快活林 Petri, O.P., president of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. Adds Dr. Michael Pakaluk of The Catholic University of America, 淭he text springs from Begg檚 own deep faith, evident on every page, and she urges us to see the nature of spiritual parenthood: become a saint, because saints give rise to saints!