Reviewed

This is a lively and engaging story that draws the reader into the life of Dolores Leckey, who lived through the historic changes of Vatican II. Finding herself in the midst of a Church seeking to engage the world, Dolores became a pivotal figure in the role of the laity in the Church. Her courage, fortitude and example of a committed Christian life shows that the extraordinary is often done in the ordinary. Her book comes at a timely moment in today's Church and world. A mother, teacher and gifted writer, Dolores bears witness to the beauty of a chaotic Church that forges on in faith, because God is the power of the future."
-Ilia Delio, OSF, Josephine Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology Villanova University

"Dolores Leckey is one of American Catholicism's great unsung heroes. The first executive director of the U.S. Bishops' Secretariat for the Laity, she was instrumental in helping the hierarchy hear the grace-filled stories of ordinary Catholics. This is her own grace-filled story. It is a tender memoir that draws readers into the larger drama of American Catholicism over the past century-from immigrant enclave and parochial school to Catholic Action, Civil Rights, charismatic renewal, lay ministry, ecumenism, and the never-ending quest for an authentic spirituality. Leckey lived it, led it, and now leaves us this treasure. Required reading for anyone who wants to know what Vatican II really meant for the church in the United States."
-Edward P. Hahnenberg, Ph.D., is author of Theodore Hesburgh, CSC: Bridge Builder, Theology for Ministry, and other titles. He is the Jack & Mary Jane Breen Chair in Catholic Theology at John Carroll University.