Meet a Reader: Samuel Mangieri III

This month's featured "Reader" is a seminarian I met when our children attended the stellar summer program Totus Tuus.  I am so grateful for the program, as well as grateful to Sam being willing to be featured here. 

How you know me:

I'm from Sacred Heart Parish in Abingdon, IL.  I attended Bradley for 3 years, and now I'm a seminarian for the diocese of Peoria studying at Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD.  I also served on the Peoria team this summer for Totus Tuus, a summer Catholic youth program.

Why I love reading:

Father Jonathan Steffen summed it up when he was featured as a “Reader” in The Catholic Post last year:  "Books are just wonderful places for readers to hide in for a while, and then reappear in the real world hours later with a sort of secret knowledge."

 I find this true, especially of poetry.  Even to take 15 minutes out of a day where "I just don't have time" to dive into a poem is so worth it.  We can emerge with an awareness of the grandeur of God that has been there the whole time, yet we had just not the time nor the eyes to see it.

What I'm reading now:

What's Wrong With the World by G.K. Chesterton.  I'm tip-toeing through this one because he is so rich.  Even though his brilliance is way out of my league, I am taking his advice that "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."  Even though I know there is a lot I miss, I know that it is worth it to seek the wisdom God gave him to remind us how to get back to a healthy and sacramental worldview.  More than anything, reading Chesterton enkindles wonder.

My favorite book:

The Sanctifier by Blessed Luis Martinez.  Martinez speaks about the Lord, the devout life, and Mary so beautifully.  He also often uses metaphors and analogies that I need desperately to learn.  I think it's accessible for anyone to pick up and read.