Gifts of Providence: From Wyoming Pioneers to Vatican Diplomacy

by John Klink

TESTIMONIALS

​ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Klink recounts some of the intriguing stories of his unique life of faith-based humanitarian service, diplomacy, finance, and politics which he attributes to gifts of Divine Providence that he would like to pass as a baton to future generations. 

The grandson of 19th-century emigrant pioneers from the Kingdom of Württemberg and Ireland, he was born on October 8, 1949, on one of Wyoming’s oldest ranches. His paternal German grandfather’s Flag Ranch near Laramie hosted three U.S. Presidents and served as the departure point for Teddy Roosevelt’s famous 60 mi. compulsory horseback ride to Cheyenne with his Cabinet, while his maternal Irish family’s scion served as the first foreign-born U.S. Senator from Wyoming, and a pallbearer for his close friend Buffalo Bill.  Following his father’s sales of the family ranches that ran from southern Wyoming to northern Colorado in 1952, his father made a precipitous move to a Bernard Maybeck home in Montecito near Santa Barbara which greatly influenced his love for architecture, art and music.

This move at a young age saw him growing up as a neighbor and friend to many luminaries of Hollywood, industry, and royalty where he says he felt strong similarities with the Beverly Hillbillies, but his family was steadied by his mother’s deep faith-life. During, and following a Jesuit education at Santa Clara University, Georgetown, and Loyola University in Rome, which sparked a lifelong devotion for the poor and refugees, he joined CRS, the Catholic equivalent of the Peace Corps, and served in North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean.  This led to postings in some of the poorest countries of the world, collaborating with St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, and being Director of a refuge Program in Thailand charged with the care of 400,000 traumatized Khmer during the Cambodian Crisis.

He was then recruited by the Vatican, and subsequently the White House, to serve as a diplomat/negotiator for scores of United Nations World Summits and Conferences during the critical period of the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of the European Union,  became an advisor to Popes and Presidents, was elected President of the International Catholic Migration Commission, and with his wife Patricia began a sovereign securities firm on Wall Street.  

John is quick to note that his fascinating, and at times highly challenging, experiences had little to do with his personal talents, but to his willingness to make himself available to Divine Providence without which he would have been a dusty but happy sheepherder on the Wyoming prairie to this day and sadly would probably not have met his beautiful wife with whom he recently celebrated their 37th anniversary in their home in Umbria.

Honors: Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Knight of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, Knight of Columbus (3rd Degree), and a Knight of Sts. Maurice and Lazarus. Royal Thai Armed Forces Award for Humanitarian Assistance to Displaced Persons in Thailand; 41st CRS Anniversary Award for Humanitarian Assistance; Legatus Ambassador Award.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Floating to the Shore of Eternity: Last Journals of Ronda Chervin (2022-2024)

By Ronda Chervin

One of the most wonderful images I thought I received from Jesus in the 8^th decade of my life was this: “Stop dog-paddling in the waves of life and let Me float you to the shore of eternity.” Gradually I have slowed down on speaking at conferences or for parish groups. This year, my 86^th, I stopped writing big books and wrote, instead, lots of small booklets, as well as a compendium of my best thoughts under the title of 77 Soundbytes of Love. Now I sensed, in prayer, that the Holy Spirit wanted me to make my last small book the journals still unpublished of 2022-2024. Unless I “get” a huge gust of insight after this, Floating to the Shore of Eternity will be the last time I write anything except responses to e-mails! I am a little scared since I have so long defined myself as a writer. Addicted to labeling and to acting like a “drama queen” it seems daunting to imagine myself under the label of “Old Penitent” or “Pseudo-Contemplative.” Let go, let God! And so begins these most recent thoughts of mine. 

Paperback: $12.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“The years pass quickly. It’s the days that are long! Ronda looks back in these day-to-day journal entries of the past couple of years with both wit and wisdom.” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronda Chervin, PhD, is a professor of philosophy, widow, grandmother, and great grandmother. She has taught at Loyola Marymount University, St. John’s Seminary of Los Angeles, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, and Holy Apostles Seminary and College. She is the author of numerous books about Catholic living and presents on EWTN and Catholic Radio. Most well-known of her books are The Way of Love, Treasury of Women Saints, Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering: How our Heroes in Faith Found Peace amid Sorrow, and, most recently, with co-author Albert Hughes: Escaping Anxiety on the Road to Spiritual Joy. 

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Finding Serenity: The Camino Distillate

By Joseph J Hurley

Joe Hurley walked thirty-three straight days. After crossing the Pyrenees into Spain, he trekked eight hundred more kilometers to Santiago de Compostela. For three days, he hiked alongside his son Mike. Then, for thirty days he wandered solo. Rarely was he alone, though. Everything needed, besides food, could be found in his pack. With each dawn’s arrival, he never knew where he would lodge that evening, except for two nights. While physically challenging, his journey was likewise joyous and extraordinarily uplifting. It gave him the precious gift of serenity. He would do it again in a heartbeat, if so blessed. After reading this book, you will want to join him!

Paperback: $19.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Distillates are those substances that are concentrated or extracted. Dr. Hurley has concentrated the spiritual meaning and substance of the Camino in his book Finding Serenity. It is a journey of the external road imitating or extracting the internal life of the Spirit. Taking the time to walk (even if only by his words and images), allows one to go deeper via the simple pleasures and serenity of the path, experiencing more fully being alive and aware. Many thanks to Dr. Hurley for helping us deepen our appreciation for roads outwardly and more frequently traveled as well as those very human roads inside of us too often less traveled.” – Charlie Durban, author of Adventures with the Holy Spirit: A Journey with Ruach

“It was on a Sunday morning on my own Camino de Santiago journey. From a mile away soft musical notes emanated across the open field I was crossing. Those magical mysterious notes increased in volume as it drew me closer, finally bringing me to the entrance of a Catholic Church where a Mass was about to begin. The words and expressions in Joseph Hurley’s Finding Serenity are like word notes inviting the reader to a destination. That destination will be the door to your heart, mind, and soul. Open that door to experience what a life changing walk can do to the walker as well as the reader.” – Paul Stutzman, author of Hiking Through: One Man’s Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail, and Pilgrims: On the Camino de Santiago.

“The Camino provides is a saying many of us have experienced and usually when we least expect it. Joseph’s delving into the history and spirituality of this journey is truly enlightening. I love to encourage people to undertake a journey of self-discovery by walking the Camino — and then life will never be the same.” – Nola Vulling, a Camino pilgrim who has made six pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela including one of over 1000 miles from Amsterdam

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Hurley is a retired physician residing in St Louis with his wife Ellen. A frequent urban and backwoods hiker he has shared numerous outdoor trips with his nine children. As a practicing Catholic he was drawn to experience the ancient practice of pilgrimage upon his retirement in 2014. This book is a long look back on his solo journey in the Summer of that year.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Rev. Fr. Austin M. Woodbury, SM, PhD, STD and the Aquinas Academy (1945 – 1975)

by Dr. Donald G. Boland

OTHER TITLES BY DONALD G. BOLAND

1. Logic, Science, and St. Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
2. Natural Philosophy, Modern Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
3. Science, Psychology and Saint Thomas Aquinas by Donald G. Boland | En Route Books and Media
4. Ethics Today and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
5. Natural Law – Australian Style | En Route Books and Media
6. Political Science and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
7. Economic Science and St. Thomas Aquinas: On Justice in the Distribution and Exchange of Wealth | En Route Books and Media
8. The Social Encyclicals and Saint Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
9. Metaphysics, Truth and St. Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media
10. Metaphysics/Ontology and St. Thomas Aquinas (Twenty Readings in Wisdom Forsaken) | En Route Books and Media
11. Thomas of the Creator | En Route Books and Media
12. The Thomist Tradition: Avoiding Scylla and Charybdis | En Route Books and Media

TESTIMONIALS

​ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donald G Boland Ll. B. (Sydney), Ph. D. (Angelicum) is a founding member of the Centre for Catholic Studies Inc. in Sydney Australia and is one of its former Presidents. He practiced for a number of years as a lawyer having a degree in law from the University of Sydney. Over much the same time, having obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas in Rome, he has taught philosophy and law in both Catholic and secular educational institutions, such as the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Newcastle, the Aquinas Academy, the Centre for Thomistic Studies Inc., now operating under the name of the Centre for Catholic Studies Inc., and various Catholic seminaries, such as those of the Marists and the Vincentians. His doctoral thesis was on the concepts of utility and value in economics as found in the works of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

In Whom I Am Well Pleased

by Edward T. Byrne

REVIEWS

Buck, Tiffany. “In Whom I Am Well Pleased” Review (July 27, 2026), Catholic Reads. Click here to read the review.

Offner, Daniel. “This Local Author Penned a Powerful Memoir” (October 25, 2024), The Long Island Herald. Click here to read the review.

REVIEW BY BOOK EXCELLENCE

Book Review of In Whom I Am Well Pleased

 

     With In Whom I Am Well Pleased, Edward T. Byrne turns every parent’s worst nightmare into a moving memoir about love, loss, faith, and perseverance. Through the story of his son Matthew’s life and death, Byrne offers a heartfelt tribute that honors his son’s memory while exploring how a family survives unimaginable grief.

 

     The memoir follows Matthew’s journey from childhood through adulthood. Raised on Long Island, he was an athletic, hardworking young man who excelled as a Jones Beach lifeguard, graduated from Bowdoin College, and fulfilled his dream of becoming a firefighter with the FDNY. To those around him, Matthew seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. But the traumatic events he experienced as a firefighter left deep emotional wounds. As post-traumatic stress, addiction, and depression took hold, Matthew struggled to regain control of his life despite treatment, family support, and periods of hope. The book chronicles both his difficult battle and the devastating impact his suicide had on those who loved him.

 

     One of the memoir’s greatest strengths is the way Byrne balances honesty with compassion. Although the subject matter is heartbreaking, the book is about much more than tragedy. Through stories of family traditions, sports, friendships, school experiences, and shared laughter, Byrne paints a vivid portrait of Matthew as a son, brother, friend, and public servant. Readers come to know him as a full and vibrant person whose life cannot be defined by its ending.

 

     Byrne writes with clarity, sincerity, and emotional depth. Rather than searching for someone to blame, he thoughtfully explores the complicated realities of mental illness, trauma, addiction, and recovery. His willingness to reflect on missed warning signs, moments of frustration, and unanswered questions gives the memoir both authenticity and emotional power. Faith is another important theme woven throughout the book. Byrne openly shares his struggles with grief while examining how his religious beliefs helped sustain him through the darkest period of his life. His reflections are honest and thoughtful, offering comfort without pretending to have all the answers.

 

     Deeply moving and beautifully written, In Whom I Am Well Pleased is both a tribute to a beloved son and a source of encouragement for others facing loss. Byrne’s memoir reminds readers that even after profound tragedy, love remains, memories endure, and hope can still be found. – Review by Book Excellence (bookexcellence.com)

TESTIMONIALS

“With every bittersweet word both honest and heartbreaking, Edward Byrne reminds us to cherish each moment in his wrenching memoir no parent would ever want to write.”  – Carol Hoenig, author of the forthcoming novel Before She was a Finley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edward T. Byrne is a lawyer, practicing in the field of construction law for forty-five years. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Columbia Law School. Love’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over, a Vietnam era family drama, was his first novel, published in 2017 after a very long gestation period.”

Visit Edward online at Edward T. Byrne (edwardtbyrne.com).

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

La Douleur de la Grâce: Vivre et Souffrir dans la Dignité

par Joni J. Seith et traduit par le Père Michel Legault, MSA

Extrait du Rosaire – Living Divine Mercy TV Show (EWTN) Ep.102 avec le Père Donald Calloway (posté le 24 août 2024), dont l’émission complète est disponible en anglais ici.

TÉMOIGNAGES

“Joni Seith a reçu la croix d’Ehlers Danlos, une maladie débilitante du tissu conjonctif. Pain of Grace est son histoire touchante et convaincante de Jésus l’invitant à entrer dans son amour transformateur à travers sa souffrance. Joni témoigne avec éloquence des paroles de saint Jean-Paul II dans Salvifici Doloris : “C’est la souffrance, plus que toute autre chose, qui ouvre la voie à la grâce qui transforme les âmes humaines”. Son histoire est un guide pour nous tous afin que nous trouvions sa grâce dans notre douleur”. – Mgr William D. Byrne, évêque de Springfield, Massachusetts

“La douleur de la grâce : Vivre et souffrir dans la dignité est exactement ce que le titre proclame – et plus encore. Il s’agit de l’histoire passionnante d’une vie imprégnée de douleur physique et de souffrance spirituelle, mais plus encore de la grâce et de l’amour de Dieu. Chaque lecteur devrait se sentir concerné par les réflexions sincères de Joni Seith, depuis les premiers souvenirs de sa famille de naissance jusqu’à ceux d’une épouse et d’une mère aimante à travers des décennies de luttes et de triomphes, alors que ses enfants grandissent jusqu’à l’âge adulte en tant qu’enfants de Dieu. Tout lecteur atteint d’une maladie physique grave devrait trouver un réconfort particulier, une motivation et même de bons moments de rire dans cette belle histoire qui montre comment toutes sortes d’adversités peuvent être transformées par la grâce de Dieu au bénéfice de ceux qui souffrent et de tous ceux qui ont la chance de partager leur vie avec eux. Une lecture glorieuse !” – Kevin Vost, Psy.D., auteur de Memorize the Latin Mass !

“Joni Seith a ouvert une fenêtre sur la grâce sanctifiante et vivifiante que Dieu dispense librement à travers ses mémoires relatant les nombreuses décennies pendant lesquelles elle a souffert du syndrome d’Ehlers Danlos avec amour et dignité.” – Cameron Fradd, “Among the Lilies” (Parmi les lys)

“Les mots de La douleur de la grâce ont émergé de manière unique à travers les larmes. L’auteure Joni Seith a pleuré tout au long de son écriture parce que, tout simplement, elle était souvent à l’agonie. Les lecteurs verseront des larmes pour une raison différente : ils seront transpercés et emportés dans une chaleureuse étreinte de la manière dont une personne fait face à la douleur de toute une vie et s’en remet au Christ. Seith offre aux lecteurs une méditation profonde sur la manière dont on amène le travail physique et émotionnel – et les crises de désespoir – au Golgotha. L’humour insolent qui émaille son récit rend l’omnibus de Seith sur la souffrance rédemptrice d’autant plus poignant et efficace. La croix est rarement évoquée aujourd’hui ; heureusement, le récit vivifiant de Seith met en lumière son poids éternel. Bravo ! – Kevin Wells, auteur de Burst, Priest and Beggar, et The Priests We Need to Save the Church (Les prêtres dont nous avons besoin pour sauver l’Église)

“Avec clarté, charme et honnêteté, Joni Seith partage avec ses lecteurs son parcours de vie transformateur d’une manière qui nous inspire à réfléchir à nos propres fardeaux et bénédictions, et à embrasser l’espoir comme une réalité, et la foi comme un but et une célébration. En voyageant avec elle – à travers des pages de douleur et de persévérance, et des moments de découverte et d’approfondissement de la spiritualité – nous recevons la vérité des hauts et des bas, des larmes et des rires, de la perte et de la nostalgie – qui se révèlent tous comme des occasions de vivre plus sagement, et de connaître la présence et l’amour de Dieu d’une manière plus personnelle et plus puissante”. – Jeni Stepanek, PhD, auteur du best-seller du NY Times, Messenger : L’héritage de Mattie J.T. Stepanek & Heartsongs

“Joni Seith a produit un livre incroyablement merveilleux basé sur une vie remarquablement belle. – Sebastian Mahfood, OP, PhD, auteur de The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy (La spiritualité narrative de la Divine Comédie de Dante)

“Quelle merveilleuse histoire de vie – pleine d’idées psychologiques et de sagesse spirituelle. Un livre à offrir à toute personne souffrant de douleurs physiques chroniques”. – Ronda Chervin, juive convertie à la foi catholique, professeur de philosophie, écrivain et conférencière

“Toute personne qui a du mal à trouver la paix et un but dans la souffrance devrait lire ce livre ! Nous pensons tous que la souffrance est ce qui nous empêche de vivre une vie paisible et pleine d’objectifs. Les mots de Joni et son parcours personnel révèlent le contraire : à travers le Christ, notre souffrance produit une paix et un but qui nous seraient autrement inaccessibles.” – Jessica Ptomey, PH.D. Auteur de Home in the Church : Vivre une foi catholique incarnée

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joni J. Seith est une convertie au catholicisme issue d’un milieu culturel juif, dont l’histoire de la conversion a été publiée dans Envoy Magazine et diffusée dans l’émission Journey Home d’EWTN. Joni est l’auteur et l’illustratrice de Cloud of Witnesses I et II, et a été la fondatrice et présidente de Biblically Correct, Inc. de 1995 à 2010 et membre du Catholic Marketing Network. En tant que conférencière sur les sujets de la souffrance rédemptrice, de la prière, des saints, des miracles et de sa propre histoire de conversion, Joni aime partager son amour pour l’Église catholique et ses enseignements avec des personnes de tous âges et de toutes confessions. Joni a donné des conférences sur la retraite de carême à des catholiques et à des non-catholiques et a enseigné la théologie du corps à des adolescents. Elle a également donné des cours de RCIA et de CCD. Bien que Joni souffre d’une douleur chronique débilitante et que son état se détériore, cela ne l’a pas empêchée de répandre la joie de l’Évangile que Jésus a transmis par l’intermédiaire de son Épouse souffrante, l’Église. La manière candide et unique de Joni de voir Dieu dans et à travers les souffrances de sa vie est à la fois inspirante et contagieuse.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS