Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle

Randy and I are excited to welcome Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle as the newest contributing writer to The Integrated Catholic Life™.

Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is known to millions as the friendly face and soothing voice of Catholic motherhood. Her frequent appearances on radio and television, her many books, and her speaking engagements are the public face of a life devoted to seeking holiness in the context of a happy Catholic family.

She grew up in a in a large, close-knit Catholic family, married, and is raising five children, the youngest now in college. Family life has always been her first vocation.

But in addition to her work as a mother, Donna-Marie has found opportunities to serve God both close to home and throughout the world. She has been a catechist for over twenty-five years at her parish and a Eucharistic minister to the sick and the congregation, as well as an EWTN TV host and world-renowned journalist and author.

Donna-Marie’s decade-long friendship with Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta led to a long correspondence and meetings around the world. Following in the footsteps of Blessed Teresa, Donna-Marie became a lay Missionary of Charity and founded a branch of the lay Missionaries of Charity. Today, Donna-Marie is passionate about encouraging others to follow in the footsteps of her blessed friend, caring for the poorest of the poor.

It was Mother Teresa who constantly encouraged Donna-Marie to keep writing for mothers, women, and families, and she wrote the foreword to Donna-Marie’s book Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers-To-Be, as well as endorsements for her other books.

Remembering Jesus’ request in the Gospel of Matthew that we should care for Him in others, Donna-Marie founded the “Friends of Veronica,” an outreach to the seniors, the sick, and the lonely in nursing homes and hospitals. The goal is to bring love and comfort in imitation of St. Veronica, who lovingly gave her veil to wipe Jesus’ forehead as He walked to Calvary.

Donna-Marie was invited by the Pontifical Council for the Laity to participate in an International Congress for women at the Vatican in early 2008 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem penned by Pope John Paul II.

Donna-Marie discusses Catholic and family and parenting issues on a regular Ave Maria Radio segment called “Mom’s Corner” at “Catholic Connection” with radio host Teresa Tomeo. She does a radio show, “A Cup of Tea with Donna-Marie” as well as “Food for the Family’s Soul.”

Look for Donna-Marie in her EWTN television series, “Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms” which airs on EWTN TV and some episodes can be seen on Youtube. Donna-Marie is currently creating a new television series for Catholic mothers. She launched a project for the Year of Faith called, “Catholic Moms Talk” in an effort to bring inspiration to Catholic moms and families. http://catholic-moms-talk.blogspot.com/

Donna-Marie’s Books

  • Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Company)
  • The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home (Crossroad Publishing Company)
  • Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers-To-Be (The Crossroad Publishing Company)
  • Catholic Saints Prayer Book (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Company)
  • The Domestic Church: Room by Room (Servant Books)
  • Grace Café: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering (Circle Press)
  • A Catholic Woman’s Book of Prayers (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Co.)
  • Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship (Our Sunday Visitor)
  • Embracing Motherhood (Servant Books)
  • Bringing Home Lent with Mother Teresa (Ave Maria Press)
  • Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women (Ave Maria Press)
  • Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year (Our Sunday Visitor)

In addition to her books, Donna-Marie’s writing can be found in many Catholic magazines, national and international newspapers, including L’Osservatore Romano (English edition), The National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor newsweekly (national), Columbia magazine, Faith & Family magazine, Canticle magazine, Lay Witness magazine, and on the Internet in her columns at CatholicMom.Com, Catholic Exchange, Catholic Online, and Catholic Lane as well as on her website and many blogs… and now on The Integrated Catholic Life™. Donna-Marie also wrote a parenting column for the “Irish Family Press,” an Irish Catholic newspaper in Ireland. She is a writer for the “I Believe” project with Franciscan Media.

She has been featured by Zenit news and Rome Reports, Vatican Radio, and is a frequent guest on EWTN’s Bookmark, Faith & Culture, and Vatican Insider.

Donna-Marie’s work has been blessed with many awards and honors, including the Media Award from the American Cancer Society. She has received the prestigious honor of Pope John Paul II’s and Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic blessings on her books and work, along with commendations from two Connecticut bishops, Bishop Lori and Archbishop Mansell. In addition to those honors, in 1988 she received a letter of commendation from Cardinal Pironio, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, as well as several letters of commendation from the Catholic clergy and letters of acknowledgement of her work from two popes. Pope John Paul II blessed Donna-Marie’s work on Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.


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