Michael T. Cibenko's Blog

June BOTM

Greetings, friends. So, it looks like Masaru is once again in the running for Book Of The Month in the Catholic Book Club. If you care to add your vote, become a member of that group (conversion not required, at least not for this purpose!), then find the discussion thread called "June 2022 BOTM - Voting." In the comments section, simply type "Masaru." You can actually select up to two books. My other suggestion would be Centurion's Daughter, also by Arx Publishing.

Thanks for your support. Please act soon, as voting ends Thursday, May 19th, at 5PM!

Christian Book Readers

This week, Masaru is featured on Christian Book Readers. Feel free to share with anyone you know who is interested in the history of the Church in Japan. Truth be told, I think this book has a lot of offer even non-believers, so please feel free to recommend to those as well!

http://christianbookreaders.com/?p=31...

Screwtape

One of the most influential books in my life has been The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I actually used this book when I taught high school Theology. Check out this article I just posted on Catholic365 about this little gem...

https://www.catholic365.com/article/1...

Interview

Christopher Laurence from Si Qua Virtus was kind enough to invite me to be interviewed about Masaru and other "Catholic stuff" this past Tuesday. Feel free to check it out. The first link is to the "Crusade Channel" on which it aired. The second link is for free listening, which they kindly invited me to share. Thanks for all your support. Please continue to spread the word!


https://crusadechannel.com/si-qua-vir...


https://www.dropbox.com/s/2z3cn9ieic0...

Truth of Fiction

This is a short piece I wrote for the National Catholic Register. It's about the value of fiction in evangelization. I think it's something we need to promote more. What works of fiction, if any, have drawn you more deeply into the faith?

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/truth...

Book of the month

So, I was informed a few days ago that my book, Masaru, is in the running for the May book-of-the-month reading selection in the Catholic Book Club group. I did a quick tally this morning and saw that Masaru is only a 3-4 votes shy of the top spot. If you happen to belong to that group, consider casting a vote. (If you don't belong, consider joining!) Thanks for your support, and have a Blessed Easter Season.

By the way, if you do choose to vote, you can actually select two books. The other I would recommend is Centurion's Daughter, also by Arx Publishing.

Best,
Michael

On the Death of My Dog

Shortly before Lent began, our family dog died. Of course it was sad, and I still miss my faithful companion. But it was also an occasion for reflection. Feel free to read this short piece and to share any of your own pet stories.

https://www.catholic365.com/article/1...

Substance of the Matter

This past Tuesday, I had the honor of being a guest speaker at Seton Hal University's annual Japan Week. I talked about my book, Masaru, as well as my experience with teaching English in Japan. It was refreshing to interact with such a nice audience of young people.

One of the things I talked about was the idea of how we can understand the doctrine of the True Presence of the Eucharist from the standpoint of reason. Please check out this article I posted on Catholic365 for an explanation of this.

https://www.catholic365.com/article/1...

Greetings

I don't know why it's taken me this long to create an author's page, but better late than never, I suppose.

For those who don't know me, I'm an educator who spent four years in rural Japan. During that time, I was inspired by the small but devout Catholic community I encountered, as well as the history of Christianity in that country. I lived quite close to the site of the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of persecuted Christians in the 17th century. This event inspired me to write my first book, Masaru, a work of historical fiction that also incorporates my own Japanese ancestry and experiences.

Please feel free to reach out to me, and please invite friends to sign up for this blog. More posts to follow!