Author Joan O’Brien's New Audiobook, “Blessed,” is the Captivating, True Story of a Nun Who Must Make the Ultimate Choice Between Her Vows and Her Heart
Recent audiobook release “Blessed” from Audiobook Network author Joan O’Brien is a compelling story that follows the author as she begins to waver in her vows as a nun when she starts developing feelings for a priest. Things only grow more complicated when he returns these feelings, leaving them both questioning if God’s plan for them might be different than what they initially believed.
Helena, MT, February 13, 2024 --(PR.com)-- Joan O’Brien, who became a nun as a young woman, but ultimately left the sisterhood to get married and have a family, has completed her new audiobook, “Blessed”: a heartfelt and fascinating memoir that follows the author as she finds her entire future as a nun thrown into question when she and a priest begin to fall for each other, leading them to wonder if a life in the church is what God has truly intended for them, and ultimately to discover God’s actual will for them both.
From boarding out with families to boarding schools, Joan Sprague knew no father, hardly knew a mother, but felt loved wherever she lived. She had dreams like any young girl and, like any teenager, longed for the love of a handsome young man. Whether near the ocean or in the mountains, near the jungle or in the cities, her experience of people was enlightening, inspirational, and at times, disappointing.
As Joan searched for God's plan for her life, she tolerated physical pain, bore emotional suffering, accepted disappointment, assumed obligations, and discovered love. Family and friends, both near and far, remained her stable go-to. Each time she came to a fork in the road of her life, her staple remained love: love of God and Jesus, love of family, and love of friends. She felt so blessed that she had so very much, even amid pain, indecision, and sorrow.
After one year in college, she took, as she believed was God's plan for her, the road less traveled nowadays and entered the sisterhood. From Boston to Brazil, she loved her teaching profession and her students of different ages and various cultures. Then she met Padre Xavier, a man of the cloth. What lay ahead for this young woman who had vowed her life to God? She still felt God's spirit awakening her, pushing her, breathing his life into her soul, yet what was his message now? Could she go on this way, having these feelings each time Xavier was in the room? Prayer, yes, of course. The will of God became her mantra, but could she discern what it was? Eventually, she did.
Joan writes, “God’s plan for me has been revealed. I am convinced, I firmly believe with my Christian Catholic faith, that I was destined to be Jim’s lover and caregiver. In my fourth grade, the seed was planted for me to become a nun, then a missionary nun. With God’s grace, that seed was watered and flowered when in Brazil I met Fr. Xavier—Jim. We married and brought two wonderful sons into the world. We sacrificed for our good, but especially for their good. We had financial, emotional, and physical challenges along the way. Yet God’s plan kept us moving to be all that we could be. I was not a saint. I stumbled. I sinned. I was sorry. God forgave, and I went on. I don’t want to speak for Jim, but he would probably say the same thing about himself.”
Published by Audiobook Network, author Joan O’Brien’s new audiobook is a beautiful story of love and faith that will capture the hearts and minds of listeners from all walks of life, as they follow along on Joan’s journey to discover God’s true calling for her and Father Xavier. Expertly paced and deeply personal, Joan weaves an intimate tapestry of her life, sharing her story in the hope of encouraging others to be open and receptive to God’s will for them, trusting that whatever their life may hold is in accordance with his grand design.
Listeners can purchase the audiobook edition of “Blessed” by Joan O’Brien through Audible, the Apple iTunes store, or Amazon.
Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in the digital publishing industry. According to The Infinite Dial 2019, 50% of Americans age 12 and older have listened to an audiobook. This huge growth can be partly attributed to increased listening in cars, which surpassed the home as the #1 audiobook listening location in the 2019 survey. Smart speaker proliferation also bodes well for future listening growth and more mainstream listening.
Audiobook Network, Inc. (ABN) is a full-service audiobook publishing company that transforms authors’ books or eBooks to life through audio narration. ABN handles, narration, production, audio editing, digital formatting, distribution, promotion, and royalty collections all under one roof. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Audiobook Network at 866-296-7774.
From boarding out with families to boarding schools, Joan Sprague knew no father, hardly knew a mother, but felt loved wherever she lived. She had dreams like any young girl and, like any teenager, longed for the love of a handsome young man. Whether near the ocean or in the mountains, near the jungle or in the cities, her experience of people was enlightening, inspirational, and at times, disappointing.
As Joan searched for God's plan for her life, she tolerated physical pain, bore emotional suffering, accepted disappointment, assumed obligations, and discovered love. Family and friends, both near and far, remained her stable go-to. Each time she came to a fork in the road of her life, her staple remained love: love of God and Jesus, love of family, and love of friends. She felt so blessed that she had so very much, even amid pain, indecision, and sorrow.
After one year in college, she took, as she believed was God's plan for her, the road less traveled nowadays and entered the sisterhood. From Boston to Brazil, she loved her teaching profession and her students of different ages and various cultures. Then she met Padre Xavier, a man of the cloth. What lay ahead for this young woman who had vowed her life to God? She still felt God's spirit awakening her, pushing her, breathing his life into her soul, yet what was his message now? Could she go on this way, having these feelings each time Xavier was in the room? Prayer, yes, of course. The will of God became her mantra, but could she discern what it was? Eventually, she did.
Joan writes, “God’s plan for me has been revealed. I am convinced, I firmly believe with my Christian Catholic faith, that I was destined to be Jim’s lover and caregiver. In my fourth grade, the seed was planted for me to become a nun, then a missionary nun. With God’s grace, that seed was watered and flowered when in Brazil I met Fr. Xavier—Jim. We married and brought two wonderful sons into the world. We sacrificed for our good, but especially for their good. We had financial, emotional, and physical challenges along the way. Yet God’s plan kept us moving to be all that we could be. I was not a saint. I stumbled. I sinned. I was sorry. God forgave, and I went on. I don’t want to speak for Jim, but he would probably say the same thing about himself.”
Published by Audiobook Network, author Joan O’Brien’s new audiobook is a beautiful story of love and faith that will capture the hearts and minds of listeners from all walks of life, as they follow along on Joan’s journey to discover God’s true calling for her and Father Xavier. Expertly paced and deeply personal, Joan weaves an intimate tapestry of her life, sharing her story in the hope of encouraging others to be open and receptive to God’s will for them, trusting that whatever their life may hold is in accordance with his grand design.
Listeners can purchase the audiobook edition of “Blessed” by Joan O’Brien through Audible, the Apple iTunes store, or Amazon.
Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in the digital publishing industry. According to The Infinite Dial 2019, 50% of Americans age 12 and older have listened to an audiobook. This huge growth can be partly attributed to increased listening in cars, which surpassed the home as the #1 audiobook listening location in the 2019 survey. Smart speaker proliferation also bodes well for future listening growth and more mainstream listening.
Audiobook Network, Inc. (ABN) is a full-service audiobook publishing company that transforms authors’ books or eBooks to life through audio narration. ABN handles, narration, production, audio editing, digital formatting, distribution, promotion, and royalty collections all under one roof. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Audiobook Network at 866-296-7774.
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