What People Are Saying

Now Featured in the Patheos Book Club
Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious
Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood
By Pat Gohn

"In a simple and heartfelt manner, Pat Gohn breaks open the meaning of being a woman, offering insights and encouragement from her own experience. In a world filled with messages distorting the real beauty of womanhood, Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious is a breath of fresh air. Inspirational, yet very practical!"
—Anastasia Northrup,
President, Theology of the Body International Alliance

"How desperately humanity needs to reclaim the true beauty and dignity of woman, for as woman goes, so goes the human race. Pat Gohn's book is a great gift in this regard. She demonstrates that the Catholic Church's true vision of woman is, indeed, bold and audacious—bodacious!"
—Christopher West,
Author, At the Heart of the Gospel

"Pat Gohn's new book is exactly what the title suggests. It is 'blessed' in that it takes joy in the best Christian thinking on the dignity of women available today. It is 'beautiful' in that it offers a personal reflection of one soul coming to know Jesus perhaps in the best way one can do that, through devotion to his holy Mother. And it is 'bodacious' in its recommendation that, despite feminism and all its works, Mary remains the 'still point of the turning world,' the model for every woman, especially modern women.

Gohn wrote the book for her daughter to communicate what she wished she had known at her daughter's age. She chronicles her own difficulties with faith, femininity, marriage, motherhood, cancer, and how her deepening faith—and growing relationship with Jesus and his Mother—helped her to accept life's challenges. But the greater achievement in this book is that it captures the essence of Catholic thinking on the extraordinary gift God has given in the creation of the two sexes, each empowered to love the other as he loves us. While focusing on women and their peculiar gifts—receptivity, generosity, sensitivity, and maternity—the book rises to a delightful and inspiring vision of every Catholic's mission to evangelize in Jesus' name."
—Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization,
Archdiocese of Boston

"Beautifully written and wonderfully insightful, this book is a joy and an inspiration. Pat Gohn is creative, courageous, and profound in her writing. She skillfully weaves Catholic teaching with genuine human experience. Every Catholic woman (and many men) will benefit from reading this book."
—Rev. Dave Dwyer, C.S.P., Host of The Busted Halo Show

"For years, I have had a front row seat for Pat Gohn's inspirational writing on the Internet. I'm thrilled beyond measure by the gift she has given women with her amazing book, Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious. Gohn is the trusted friend with whom you wish to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a conversation. She's the 'bodacious' gal who will have you laughing out loud and noting the great joy to be found in everyday blessings in life. She's the profound catechist who will hold your hand and draw you closer to Christ. Live, love, and laugh with Gohn and you'll soon discover that you too are blessed, beautiful, and yes, even bodacious in your own unique way!"
—Lisa M. Hendey, Author, A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms

"Forty years after the message that 'women can do and be anything' began to really resonate and take root within with the culture, many women feel like they have the 'doing' part down pretty well, but they're not sure about the 'being.' What does it mean to 'be' and where can we find a consistent narrative of being that is of a piece with the realities of women's daily lives? Through her sometimes deeply personal stories and an insightful use of resources, Pat Gohn makes a convincing argument that—contrary to most media messaging—the Catholic Church has been sharing a view of the fullness of feminine genius, strength, and beauty that is downright holistic at its well-rounded depths. Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious is such a perfectly-timed (and sanely, gently offered) look at the 'being' part of modern womanhood that I cannot help but think the Holy Spirit wants this message out!"
—Elizabeth Scalia, Author, Strange Gods

"In Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious, Pat Gohn joyfully and humorously leads the reader through candid anecdotes that illustrate the different facets and incredible depth of womanhood. This is a great read for women of all walks of life who desire to live to the full their vocations in modern world."
—Rev. Michael Gaitley, M.I.C., Director of the Association of Marian Helpers

"When Pope John Paul II coined the phrase 'feminine genius,' women everywhere rejoiced. And then we asked ourselves, 'Um, what is it?' Women have been through so many vicissitudes in the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century that we are often a little unsure about who we are and what makes us great. We can even be quite out of touch with God's amazing design and plan for us—body and soul. Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious will not only get you in touch with your true nature as a woman and give you permission to celebrate it, but it might even give you permission to let some things you don't need go."
 —Sr. Helena Burns, F.S.P., Author, He Speaks to You