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

All is Grace! My Life

by Fr. Julius D. Lelóczky, O.Cist.

TESTIMONIALS

“Father Leloczky’s autobiography, All is Grace! My Life, follows his personal journey from his family’s bakery in Hungary, through the religious suppression of communist Hungary and the upheaval of the Hungarian Revolution, all the way up to his life at the tranquil Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey in Irving, where he currently resides. In 1950, at a time when Father Leloczky’s own religious devotion was growing, the government moved to suppress religious orders, forcing religious practice underground. The autobiography recounts the true and curious details of Father Leloczky’s clandestine vocation story—his journey to becoming an underground Cistercian novice; the shock of his post-Hungarian Revolution move from Hungary, where he had to hide his identity, to Rome, where he could wear his Cistercian habit openly; and his arrival in Texas, in 1964, where he had to adjust to his new, foreign surroundings. Underneath the clandestine meetings, the cross-world travel, and the twists and turns of his journey, Father Leloczky’s story is ultimately a tale of grace—God’s providence and goodness.” – Amy White, The Texas Catholic

“Thank you for creating such a beautiful book about Grace, your experiences, and especially pages 354-358. I was reading page {354,355} tonight when my sister called/informed me her mother-in-law is fighting a serious illness in the hospital.  For some reason (call it the Holy Spirit) I instantly knew I should send that page to my sister and her mother-in-law for some comforting/inspiring thoughts. The page talks of how after you arrived home from Covid recovery, and you talked to God about your future work and purpose.  Thank you for writing this!  It inspired me in my midlife greatly.  Reading those few pages are like listening to excellent classical music alone in the car with surround sound.” – Anonymous reader

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in Hungary, in 1953 Fr. Julius clandestinely entered the Cistercian abbey of Zirc, which had been suppressed by the communist government. After three years of formation conducted underground and in hiding, he left Hungary in 1956 to study theology in Rome. After earning his doctorate in theology in 1964, he joined fellow Hungarian refugees at Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey, which had been founded just a few years earlier. In 2011 Fr. Julius retired from the Abbey’s prep school, where he taught for 46 years, including serving as librarian for 20 years. He translated and published The Auschwitz Journal, the chronicle of Klára Kardos, a Hungarian Catholic of Jewish background, who survived the Nazi concentration camps.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

Pain of Grace: Living and Suffering with Dignity

by Joni J. Seith

Segment cut from The Rosary – Living Divine Mercy TV Show (EWTN) Ep.102 with Fr. Donald Calloway (posted on August 24, 2024), the full broadcast of which is available here.

TESTIMONIALS

“Joni Seith was given the cross of Ehlers Danlos, a debilitating connective-tissue disorder. Pain of Grace is her touching and compelling tale of Jesus inviting her into his transformative love through her suffering. Joni eloquently testifies to the words of St. John Paul II in Salvifici Doloris, ‘It is suffering, more than anything else, which clears the way for the grace which transforms human souls.’ Her story is a guide for us all to find His Grace in our pain.” – Most Reverend William D. Byrne, Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts

“Pain of Grace: Living and Suffering with Dignity is precisely as the title proclaims — and then some. This is a most engaging story of a life suffused with physical pain and spiritual suffering, but even more so with God’s grace and love. Every reader should resonate with Joni Seith’s heartfelt reflections, from early memories of her family of birth, to those of a loving wife and mother across decades of struggles and triumphs as her children grow to adulthood as children of God. Every reader with a serious physical illness should obtain special solace, motivation, and even good laughs in this beautiful story of how all kinds of adversity can be transformed by God’s grace to the benefit of those who suffer and to all who are blessed to share their lives with them. A glorious read!” – Kevin Vost, Psy.D., author of Memorize the Latin Mass!

“Joni Seith has opened a window into the sanctifying and life-giving grace God freely provides through her memoir recounting her many decades of suffering Ehlers Danlos Syndrome with love and dignity.” – Cameron Fradd, “Among the Lilies”

“The words in Pain of Grace uniquely emerged through tears. Author Joni Seith wept throughout her writing because, simply, she was often in agony. Readers will shed tears for a different reason: they’ll be pierced and taken into a warm embrace of the manner in which a person copes and surrenders lifelong pain to Christ. Seith offers readers a profound meditation on how one brings physical and emotional travail – and bouts of hopelessness – to Golgotha. Cheeky humor is spread throughout her story, which makes Seith’s omnibus on living redemptive suffering all the more poignant and effective. The cross is rarely discussed today; thankfully Seith’s bracing tale shines bright light on its eternal weight. Bravo!” – Kevin Wells, author of Burst, Priest and Beggar, and The Priests We Need to Save the Church

“With clarity, charm, and open-hearted honesty, Joni Seith shares her transformational life journey with readers in a way that inspires us to reflect on our own burdens and blessings, and to embrace hope as real, and faith with purpose and celebration. As we travel with her – through pages of pain and perseverance, and moments of discovery and deepening spirituality – we are gifted with the truth of ups and downs and tears and laughter and loss and longing – all of which unfold as opportunities to live wiser, and to know God’s presence and love in a more personal and powerful way.” – Jeni Stepanek, PhD, author of the NY Times Bestseller, Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek & Heartsongs

“Joni Seith has produced an incredibly wonderful book based on a remarkably beautiful life.” – Sebastian Mahfood, OP, PhD, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy

“What a wonderful life story – full of psychological insights and spiritual wisdom. A must to give to anyone suffering with chronic physical pain.” – Dr. Ronda Chervin, Jewish convert to the Catholic faith, philosophy professor, writer and speaker.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joni J. Seith is a convert to Catholicism from a culturally Jewish background whose conversion story has been published in Envoy Magazine and shared on EWTN’s Journey Home program. Joni is the author and illustrator of Cloud of Witnesses I and II, and was the Founder and President of Biblically Correct, Inc from 1995 – 2010 and a member of the Catholic Marketing Network. As a speaker on the subjects of Redemptive Suffering, prayer, the saints, miracles and her own conversion story, Joni enjoys sharing her love for the Catholic Church and Her teachings to people of all ages and faiths. Joni has given Lenten Retreat talks both to Catholic and non-Catholics alike and has taught Theology of the Body to teens. She has also taught RCIA classes as well as CCD. Although Joni suffers with a chronic debilitating pain and deteriorating condition, it hasn’t stopped her from spreading the joy of the Gospel which Jesus has handed down through His Suffering Bride, the Church. Joni’s candid and unique joy-filled way of seeing God in and through the sufferings in her life is both inspirational and contagious.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS

An Unlikely Gardener: Prose and Poems

by Francis Etheredge

Part V: Talking Points

The garden of the world and the Word of God

A poem called “Global Gardening”

Part VI: A Question of Science

Biblical Science

A poem called “Shells”

Part VII: Philosophy and Ecology

The vocation to Global Gardening

A poem called: “Clothes

Part VIII: The Identity of a Seed

An Enclosed Garden

A poem called “Tree Seeds”

Part IX: We Are Not Products

The Garden of Gethsemane

A poem called “The Winter Tree”

Part X: The Garden of God

The future Garden

A poem called “Lilies”

IN THE NEWS

A shout out to Mary Grenchus of the Grenchus Foundation for sharing the lead poem, entitled “Beautiful”, on her blog.

TESTIMONIALS

“A vision of loveliness, passing through time and space
Like a glance at the opening and flowering of grace.”

 

“This final couplet of An Unlikely Gardener, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, also aptly describes the experience of reading this collection of prose and poetry by Francis Etheredge. For indeed we behold the loveliness Etheredge shows us, with a gardener’s eye for displaying beauty and juxtaposing this lush crop with lessons firmly rooted in seasoned experience. In An Unlikely Gardener, Etheredge offers a well-ripened harvest of work, filled with the sun and shadow of hard-won wisdom learned over the literal and symbolic gardens of abundant years. Etheredge’s signature literary style is present in this volume in full splendour— journeying deftly from prose to poetry and back again— and his show-stopping hybrid is one that weaves faith and Scripture with family stories and verse bursting forth with tendrils of lush language. Francis Etheredge writes of, ‘Going into the garden with a cup of tea…’ and I suggest you enter this writer’s garden with a cup of tea large enough to fully savor the experience. The Unlikely Gardener sings of ‘The one who comes, you are the one who is already here, Ready and able to save me into the bark of Peter, You who are the Risen Christ, rising in me.’ May the Saviour, the greatest of all gardeners, accompany you through this ‘vision of loveliness’ Etheredge has written, and may you grow closer to Him because of it.” — Annabelle Moseley, author of Awake with Christ: Living the Catholic Holy Hour in Your Home (How Keeping God Prayerful Company in the Garden of Gethsemane can Change Your Life)

“As a lifelong Christian with a particularly strong passion for just about everything outdoors, I found An Unlikely Gardener to be thought provoking, spiritually nourishing, and refreshing. Akin to a beautiful and bountiful garden that begins, thrives, dies, requires work and thought along the way, and then brings goodness again, Etheredge has composed and arranged his own garden of interlacing stories, observations, reflections, and rich poetic verse that bring God’s gifts of the personal human experience, nature, and written word – with reminder of our call for Christian stewardship – into one unique place, An Unlikely Gardener.” — Tom Sunderland, Native Edge Landscapes | MLA, University of Colorado Denver

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Francis Etheredge is married with eight children, plus three in heaven.

Francis is currently a freelance writer and speaker and his “Posts” on LinkedIn can be viewed here. Poetry; short articles; autobiographical blog; excerpts from books; and “Philosophize: A Ten Minute Write.”

For a list of all of Francis’ books published by En Route Books and Media, click here.

See Francis’ other books, too, entitled Scripture: A Unique Word, From Truth and truth: Volume I-Faithful Reason, From Truth and truth: Volume II: Faith and Reason in Dialogue, From Truth and truth: Volume III: Faith is Married Reason.

He has earned a BA Div (Hons), MA in Catholic Theology, PGC in Biblical Studies, PGC in Higher Education, and an MA in Marriage and Family (Distinction).

Enjoy these additional articles by Francis Etheredge:

• Witness “begets” Witnesses
• Love is a Liturgical Act
• The Holy Family, Celibacy, and Marriage: A Reflection on the “Passage” from the Jewish Rite of Marriage to the Sacrament of Marriage
• “Do-it-Yourself” or Vocation: Coincidence or Providence

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS 

Non Nobis Domine: No Para Nosotros, Señor

by Marge Giangiulio

TESTIMONIOS

“En el ruidoso y ajetreado mundo actual, hemos olvidado hasta qué punto Dios está íntimamente implicado en nuestras vidas. Estas historias de la vida real demuestran Su profundo amor y misericordia por cada uno de nosotros. Las historias nos recuerdan que no hay simples coincidencias: Las “coincidencias” son disfraces de la providencia de Dios. Esperemos que quienes lean estas historias reflexionen sobre ello y tal vez sean más conscientes de la presencia de Dios en sus vidas personales y en las de quienes les rodean.” – Rev. Julius D. Leloczky, O. Cist.

“Enhorabuena por la publicación de su libro. Ahora los maravillosos y amorosos Caminos de Nuestro Señor estarán disponibles para tantas personas que necesitan Su amor, paz y aliento. Usted ha sido verdaderamente un salvavidas para tantos que han estado sufriendo y necesitan Su sanación y gracia. Estoy tan orgullosa y agradecida por tu “sí” a haber hecho realidad tus experiencias para tantos”. – Shirley Vilfordi, amiga de la autora

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marge Giangiulio es una antigua neoyorquina que se trasladó a Texas mientras trabajaba como ejecutiva en American Airlines. Se describe a sí misma como una católica perdida que experimentó una profunda conversión después de peregrinar a Medjugorje. Esta experiencia despertó su deseo de vivir más plenamente su fe católica. Como adoradora diaria de la Adoración Eucarística, recibió muchos impulsos del Espíritu Santo que fructificaron en toda la Diócesis de Dallas y, en cascada, llegaron a tocar las vidas de cientos, si no miles, de personas en todo el mundo. Sus muchos compromisos incluyen la implementación de programas de Adoración Eucarística, Asesoramiento en la Acera de Clínicas de Aborto, instigación de un programa mundial para rezar por nuestros sacerdotes, voluntariado con retiros de Jóvenes Centrados en la Eucaristía, Red de Radio Guadalupe, San Vicente de Paúl y el Comité Católico Pro Vida. Escribió Non Nobis Domine a petición de su Director Espiritual, cuya esperanza es proporcionar una oportunidad más para dirigir las almas a Dios.

OTHER CATHOLIC MEMOIRS