What do you think?
Rate this book
Awakening at Lourdes: How an Unanswered Prayer Healed Our Family and Restored Our Faith
Winner of a third-place award in the memoir category from the Catholic Media Association.
“This is your cross, and I am not going to take it away from you. I will be with you, and I will help you, but it is yours to carry.” Christy Wilkens heard Jesus speak those words after she prayed for her son Oscar’s healing in her parish adoration chapel one bright September day. Almost a year later she would find herself in Lourdes, France, seeking a miracle. The grotto at Lourdes is known as a place of healing. But sometimes the miracle that occurs is not physical, but something much deeper. Wilkens made the long trek to Lourdes with her husband, Todd, and their toddler—who is plagued by mysterious seizures—through a program with the Order of Malta. In Awakening at Lourdes , Wilkens shares that while Oscar’s condition did improve after their visit, the real healing took place between she and her husband. Through their time at Lourdes, they discovered a deeper love for each other, a renewed sense of appreciation for their faith community, and an abiding confidence in God’s mercy. Persuaded by her husband to take the trip, Wilkens summoned her faith– faith in God, faith in her husband, and faith in the doctors and other helpers who surrounded them every step of the way—to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Recording their experiences with deeply personal yet highly relatable language, Wilkens offers a firsthand account of the traditions and culture of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and the shrine’s special servers, the Order of Malta. She also captures her own doubts, questions, and fears as she attempted to process the family’s physical and emotional journey. The Wilkens family’s story will help you learn to be open to what God has in store for you and to see that if you surrender control, open yourself to God’s grace, and lean on your community, you are never alone. The book includes a study guide for individual or group use.
“This is your cross, and I am not going to take it away from you. I will be with you, and I will help you, but it is yours to carry.” Christy Wilkens heard Jesus speak those words after she prayed for her son Oscar’s healing in her parish adoration chapel one bright September day. Almost a year later she would find herself in Lourdes, France, seeking a miracle. The grotto at Lourdes is known as a place of healing. But sometimes the miracle that occurs is not physical, but something much deeper. Wilkens made the long trek to Lourdes with her husband, Todd, and their toddler—who is plagued by mysterious seizures—through a program with the Order of Malta. In Awakening at Lourdes , Wilkens shares that while Oscar’s condition did improve after their visit, the real healing took place between she and her husband. Through their time at Lourdes, they discovered a deeper love for each other, a renewed sense of appreciation for their faith community, and an abiding confidence in God’s mercy. Persuaded by her husband to take the trip, Wilkens summoned her faith– faith in God, faith in her husband, and faith in the doctors and other helpers who surrounded them every step of the way—to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Recording their experiences with deeply personal yet highly relatable language, Wilkens offers a firsthand account of the traditions and culture of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and the shrine’s special servers, the Order of Malta. She also captures her own doubts, questions, and fears as she attempted to process the family’s physical and emotional journey. The Wilkens family’s story will help you learn to be open to what God has in store for you and to see that if you surrender control, open yourself to God’s grace, and lean on your community, you are never alone. The book includes a study guide for individual or group use.
224 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2021
12 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 8, 2021
**I received an eARC. All of my opinions are my own.**
Where to start on this book, which felt like it came into my life at exactly the right time?
First of all, the author is obviously a trained writer. Her story has just the right number of details to be intriguing without being boring, her similes and metaphors are fresh and interesting, and overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality of the writing.
Second, the story itself was so engaging! I loved hearing about her and her husband’s journey, along with the lovable Oscar, to Lourdes and back. And seeing the powerful way that God worked in the author’s life, to destroy her pride and bring her peace, was very, very moving. I was on the verge of tears a couple of different times!
Thirdly, I appreciated how there were various references throughout the story to contemporary Catholic culture, and even the slightly older roots of Catholic culture, and older Catholic ideas—Lewis, Tolkien, the Dominicans, Archbishop Cordileone, the concept of Kairos, John of the Cross, John 1:5, Latin as the mother tongue of the Church, “mountaintop moments”, consecration to Mary, “The Servant Song” which is one of my dad’s favorite hymns. Each of those felt like an Easter Egg hidden just for me within the story. <3
Fourthly, the brief explanations of Catholic theology and tradition for those who aren’t Catholic who might read the book were very well done—brief, to the point, and correct, most of the time. There were, however, two instances where I raised an eyebrow at the phrasing of the theology—first of all, the phrase describing the Eucharist, that it is “clothed under the appearance of bread” is not especially correct—the Eucharist is under the appearance of bread, but the word “clothed” suggests a dichotomy between the externality and internality of bread vs. Jesus that simply isn’t there. Obviously it’s not a big thing, one simply word, and one person’s reaction, but it definitely made me raise an eyebrow. Second of all, she says that the love between the Father and the Son “creates” the Holy Spirit. This is incorrect. God is uncreated. The Holy Spirit does precede from the love between the Father and the Son, as we say in the Nicene Creed, but He is not created. Theological nitpicking aside, the inclusion of explanations for those unfamiliar with Catholicism was extremely thoughtful.
Fifthly, her little reflections within the story—on suffering, on pride, on letting go, on our need for God’s mercy and love—were perfect. Not too short, not too long, not too preachy, and just what I needed at the moment!
Sixthly and lastly, I loved how much “community” was a theme throughout the story, how the community rallied around them, bringing them what they needed, praying for them, and so on. My family has experienced this “community hug” in our lives before, several times, and it was so lovely to see it in someone else’s tale as well.
Four stars!
Where to start on this book, which felt like it came into my life at exactly the right time?
First of all, the author is obviously a trained writer. Her story has just the right number of details to be intriguing without being boring, her similes and metaphors are fresh and interesting, and overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality of the writing.
Second, the story itself was so engaging! I loved hearing about her and her husband’s journey, along with the lovable Oscar, to Lourdes and back. And seeing the powerful way that God worked in the author’s life, to destroy her pride and bring her peace, was very, very moving. I was on the verge of tears a couple of different times!
Thirdly, I appreciated how there were various references throughout the story to contemporary Catholic culture, and even the slightly older roots of Catholic culture, and older Catholic ideas—Lewis, Tolkien, the Dominicans, Archbishop Cordileone, the concept of Kairos, John of the Cross, John 1:5, Latin as the mother tongue of the Church, “mountaintop moments”, consecration to Mary, “The Servant Song” which is one of my dad’s favorite hymns. Each of those felt like an Easter Egg hidden just for me within the story. <3
Fourthly, the brief explanations of Catholic theology and tradition for those who aren’t Catholic who might read the book were very well done—brief, to the point, and correct, most of the time. There were, however, two instances where I raised an eyebrow at the phrasing of the theology—first of all, the phrase describing the Eucharist, that it is “clothed under the appearance of bread” is not especially correct—the Eucharist is under the appearance of bread, but the word “clothed” suggests a dichotomy between the externality and internality of bread vs. Jesus that simply isn’t there. Obviously it’s not a big thing, one simply word, and one person’s reaction, but it definitely made me raise an eyebrow. Second of all, she says that the love between the Father and the Son “creates” the Holy Spirit. This is incorrect. God is uncreated. The Holy Spirit does precede from the love between the Father and the Son, as we say in the Nicene Creed, but He is not created. Theological nitpicking aside, the inclusion of explanations for those unfamiliar with Catholicism was extremely thoughtful.
Fifthly, her little reflections within the story—on suffering, on pride, on letting go, on our need for God’s mercy and love—were perfect. Not too short, not too long, not too preachy, and just what I needed at the moment!
Sixthly and lastly, I loved how much “community” was a theme throughout the story, how the community rallied around them, bringing them what they needed, praying for them, and so on. My family has experienced this “community hug” in our lives before, several times, and it was so lovely to see it in someone else’s tale as well.
Four stars!
August 15, 2021
Those of us who pray (or don't pray) with a hint of "but answer my prayers like *this* please, God" or pray and then drive forward with the action we think will solve our problems have needed this book for a while now.
October 22, 2021
"Bearing suffering well is one of the surest paths to heaven. This is the story of how I learned to bear mine."
That weighty introduction drops the reader off at the start of a parent's worst nightmare: the inexplicable, overwhelming suffering of a child.
Wilkens' story is compelling, and her honesty refreshing as she describes the details of her trip to Lourdes with her husband and young son, Oscar. They hoped for physical healing for Oscar, but what they took home was much more.
Avoiding the common pitfalls of the saccharin spiritual cliche where everything gets easy as soon as the main character turns to Jesus, Wilken's story is for the rest of us-- who cling to faith even when life is hard.
Not just for parents of children with special needs, Awakening at Lourdes would benefit anyone who has ever doubted God's love, struggled with reconciling the suffering of the world with a loving God, or prayed seemingly without an answer.
Jennifer Fulwiler's quote, "You will recognize your own story in these pages" is true for me. There were several times when Wilkens voiced thoughts I hadn't dared to say myself. I will be ordering additional copies of this inspiring yet easy read to pass along to friends who might also benefit from seeing their struggles parallel Wilkens'.
That weighty introduction drops the reader off at the start of a parent's worst nightmare: the inexplicable, overwhelming suffering of a child.
Wilkens' story is compelling, and her honesty refreshing as she describes the details of her trip to Lourdes with her husband and young son, Oscar. They hoped for physical healing for Oscar, but what they took home was much more.
Avoiding the common pitfalls of the saccharin spiritual cliche where everything gets easy as soon as the main character turns to Jesus, Wilken's story is for the rest of us-- who cling to faith even when life is hard.
Not just for parents of children with special needs, Awakening at Lourdes would benefit anyone who has ever doubted God's love, struggled with reconciling the suffering of the world with a loving God, or prayed seemingly without an answer.
Jennifer Fulwiler's quote, "You will recognize your own story in these pages" is true for me. There were several times when Wilkens voiced thoughts I hadn't dared to say myself. I will be ordering additional copies of this inspiring yet easy read to pass along to friends who might also benefit from seeing their struggles parallel Wilkens'.
October 19, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book. Not only because of how brutally honest Christy Wilkens is with her readers regarding the emotions she is feeling, but because of the details regarding Lourdes pilgrimage and the Order of Malta.
I am a cradle Catholic and I have always heard about Lourdes and its healing waters, but I never really knew what occurs during a pilgrimage. Wilken’s writings transported me there and when I was more curious about something I was looking up videos on youtube or researching it further.
Her discussion about her own spiritual healing and that of her husband’s is so touching and inspiring. Its hard lesson to learn, to humble yourself and accept your brokenness as a gift from God. But it is an important lesson to learn. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one suffering from a disease or disorder. Anyone who is having doubts in their faith in God. Anyone who loves Our Lady and wants go learn more!
Thank you to Ave Maria Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
I am a cradle Catholic and I have always heard about Lourdes and its healing waters, but I never really knew what occurs during a pilgrimage. Wilken’s writings transported me there and when I was more curious about something I was looking up videos on youtube or researching it further.
Her discussion about her own spiritual healing and that of her husband’s is so touching and inspiring. Its hard lesson to learn, to humble yourself and accept your brokenness as a gift from God. But it is an important lesson to learn. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one suffering from a disease or disorder. Anyone who is having doubts in their faith in God. Anyone who loves Our Lady and wants go learn more!
Thank you to Ave Maria Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
February 8, 2022
Woof.
Full disclosure, of course, I went to church with Christy and she was one of my daughter's CGS teachers and I think she's really great.
That said, this book was kind of a punch in the gut, and I saw more of myself in it than I expected to. For much of the book, she's angry and near despair over the condition of her youngest son and the stress caring for him puts upon her family. And that feeling continues through much of their pilgrimage to Lourdes - and the way that heavy cloud begins to lift is slow, subtle, and ..complicated even? It's not an easy answer and it's not the easiest read (emotionally, at least) but it's a great way of capturing the slow ... well, awakening really... to the goodness of God in our often very hard lives. I hope lots of folks can read it and I'm sure many, many people will see themselves in it in big and small ways. The journey through Lourdes is a meaningful, well-documented experience as well.
I'm so grateful to her for writing this book, and that I've gotten to know her wonderful family, if even for a short time. Thank you, Christy.
Full disclosure, of course, I went to church with Christy and she was one of my daughter's CGS teachers and I think she's really great.
That said, this book was kind of a punch in the gut, and I saw more of myself in it than I expected to. For much of the book, she's angry and near despair over the condition of her youngest son and the stress caring for him puts upon her family. And that feeling continues through much of their pilgrimage to Lourdes - and the way that heavy cloud begins to lift is slow, subtle, and ..complicated even? It's not an easy answer and it's not the easiest read (emotionally, at least) but it's a great way of capturing the slow ... well, awakening really... to the goodness of God in our often very hard lives. I hope lots of folks can read it and I'm sure many, many people will see themselves in it in big and small ways. The journey through Lourdes is a meaningful, well-documented experience as well.
I'm so grateful to her for writing this book, and that I've gotten to know her wonderful family, if even for a short time. Thank you, Christy.
October 25, 2021
This was a beautiful and touching story of learning how to let go and trusting God for everything. Christy and her husband get the opportunity to visit Lourdes in an effort to have their son, Oscar, healed. Christy expects an immediate healing but what she learns is that the healing isn't necessarily a quick fix for a physical ailment. I loved the journey through her thoughts and how she figures out she is her biggest obstacle to getting what she needs from Lourdes. It teaches us all that we need to relinquish control and let God in.
I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2022
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started the book, but I pretty much cried my way through it. On the surface, the book is about a woman, her son, and his debilitating illness. But through her vulnerability and willingness to share, Christy Wilkins provided the opportunity for all of us to walk alongside her. All of us experience brokenness. Many of us perhaps struggle with the desire to do it all alone, the belief that we have to somehow prove ourselves. And yet it is in giving that we receive. Christy reminds us that sometimes it is giving others the chance to love us that is the most important and that can provide us with the most healing.
February 27, 2022
A beautiful first hand account of the Lourdes pilgrimage. Healing takes place, faith restored, a marriage recommitted. Christy’s writing is vivid and you feel her pain, anger, rejoicing. My uncle goes on this pilgrimage as a volunteer and it was neat to get more insight into this thing he holds so dear.
May 29, 2024
We just came back from Lourdes with the Order of Malta. This book summed up so many of my experiences. I was writing in a journal while I was there but reading this book allowed me to add so much to my journal as I felt so much in the book paralleled my own experience. Thank you so much for this beautiful story. It helped me recognize the many miracles we experienced as well.
Read
October 9, 2021Christy Wilkens masterfully reminds us that our blessings are interwoven within our daily challenges. In our vulnerability and surrender of control we find our strength. In communal sharing and caring we empower one another. A must read!
October 20, 2021
I received an advance copy of, Awakening at Lourdes, by Christy Wilkens. This is a very good book. Oscar has seizures, his parents are taking him on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, to heal him. The mother is so honest and raw in her telling of the story and her faith.
November 9, 2021
Her story is beautifully written and incredibly powerful, full of God's goodness.
November 28, 2021
Lovely story about a woman who has lost the heart behind her faith, travels to Lourdes for a miracle, and ends up finding her heart again. It’s easy to get lost in the routine things and lost the fire behind it. One ends up in a rut and forgets the little things that make the magic of everyday, including faith. I really enjoyed how she did not hide her concerns, questions, and doubts, and showed us the journey she went on as she rediscovered her faith and love of life and of her family.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews