Sandpoint's Cindy Wooden with Pope Francis

I've ordered "his" and "hers" books for Bill and me.  Bill, the Presbyterian, told me a while back he'd like about five or six copies to share with his Presbyterian friends. 

So, I figure he can order his extras after we receive our own personal editions. 

You see Bill appreciates the Pope as much as I do, and since Bill and I have known Cindy forever (she sang at our wedding back in 1974), it's a double thrill to see this book now available on the shelves. 

I even knew Cindy before we were married:  4-H club, family friend, Saturday night folk Mass, English student, student journalist, drill team captain and one thoughtful young lady-----she sent me a vase of yellow roses when Annie was born. 

As a teacher, friend, fellow journalist, not-so-good Catholic, I must say this most recent achievement of Cindy's makes me oh so proud, and I'm betting the late Bob Hamilton, (Cindy and my journalism adviser at different times) is sending a thumbs up from Heaven. 

So, here's my lazy way out of telling you all about this new release----short interview with Cindy, stolen quotes from Cindy's Facebook page and copied and pasted stuff from Amazon where you can now order your own copy.

 https://www.amazon.com/Pope-Francis-Lexicon-Cindy-Wooden/dp/0814645216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518795440&sr=8-1&keywords=pope+francis+lexicon


Congratulations, Cindy Wooden from Sandpoint, Idaho, WE ARE PROUD OF YOU.  Now, for more about the book: 


from a post, written yesterday by Cindy Wooden on her Facebook wall .....


"A Pope Francis Lexicon," edited by Joshua McElwee and me, is available now from litpress.org and Amazon. 

The UK edition, "Keywords of Pope Francis," available soon from bloomsbury.com. 

 And voilà! "Pape François Lexique" soon to be published by Editions du Cerf. 

Three covers, three ways of spelling stuff. Same great book!
                                         
                                         ---Cindy Wooden
                                             Sandpoint High School Alum
                                             Class of 1978

Hot Off the Press from Rome, by Cindy, penned just this morning:  

Liturgical Press, our Italian publisher, saw an Italian book called “II Vocabulario di Papa Francesco” (The Vocabulary of Pope Francis) and bought the rights to do an English version.

At first, we were going to translate some of the Italian essays and add a few of our own. But we started coming up with lists of words the pope uses often and lists of people we thought could write about them. 

Next thing we knew, we had enough for a completely new volume.

Especially for the 54 essays, but also for the review-blurbs, we just reached out to people we knew and admired.  We tried to get a wide variety in order to reflect the reach of the pope’s influence and to attract a wide audience to the book.

The 54 essays in the book include pieces by Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans, women and men, people who range in age from their 20s to their 70s.

Most of the authors are from the United States and Canada, but there are also Central and South Americans, Europeans, Africans and Asians.

from Amazon.com: About the Author(s)

Cindy Wooden is chief of the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service. She has been reporting on the Vatican and the Catholic Church since 1989. She has traveled around the world with John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Pope Francis. 

As a result of this work, she is respected as an authority on the life and workings of the church. She is the author of Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening.

Joshua J. McElwee is National Catholic Reporter's Vatican correspondent and a contributor to the Italian news website Vatican Insider. He has reported on Pope Francis from 23 countries and his work has earned numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association. He is the author of Ten Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know About the Family.

Reviews from Amazon.com

A Pope Francis Lexicon is a helpful addition to the ever-expanding literature on Pope Francis. This collection will no doubt be greeted with gratitude by those desiring personal growth in their lives through reflection on the Pope’s words and actions, especially his determination to build bridges, foster receptive dialogue and multiply opportunities for encounter.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State

Joshua J. McElwee and Cindy Wooden have brought together an outstanding collection of writings on Pope Francis’ leadership from major figures in the Church and wider Catholic life. A Pope Francis Lexicon is a valuable guide to the words and ideas that form the foundation of Francis’ papacy. It rightly belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the direction of the Catholic Church today.

E.J. Dionne Jr., co-author of One Nation After Trump and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

What an interesting idea: ask a wide range of writers and thinkers to reflect on Pope Francis’s words. The result: this collection of intelligent and accessible essays. This is a book to keep on the bedside table and delve into over and over again.

Cokie Roberts, author and political commentator for NPR and ABC