“At a time when I should be spending my time reading documentation in advance of next week’s annual meeting of the bishops of the United States, I found myself totally engrossed in a book, which I highly recommend to anyone. Titled My Cousin the Saint (Harper Collins, 2008), this masterful account was written by Justin Catanoso…”

So begins the Nov. 14, 2010 blog entry by Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Fla. My book was brought to the bishop’s attention by an old friend from my boyhood days in Wildwood, NJ who now lives in St. Pete. The rest of the kind and gracious review is here.

“Just let me say that I have seldom been as captivated by a personal story as I was by this one, finding it hard to put my iPad on ‘off,’” Bishop Lynch writes.

Posted recently on the online bulletin board of CapeMayHerald.com: “This isn’t a commercial but I must tell you I just finished reading a very wonderful book called “My Cousin The Saint” by former North Wildwood resident writer, teacher, Justin Catanoso. Honest, a beautiful read.  —Wildwood”

Thanks!

Jim Vanore, staff writer for the Cape May County Herald, writes about my upcoming book talks this weekend in Avalon and North Cape May, NJ. The article also carries the first published look at the colorful new paperback cover of My Cousin the Saint (above), which will be released by Harper Perennial next month. The story is here.

Before the Tampa Bay area went nuts last night reveling in the success of the once-lowly Rays and their improbable journey to the World Series, Tampa Tribune religion writer Michelle Bearden offered a story in the Sunday paper about the power of saints in modern society. The story is here. Me and my cousin enter the story near the end.

For the record, I’m a Phillies fan, and have been since I was a Little Leaguer in Wildwood, NJ, going to the Vet with my pre-teen pals to see Steve Carlton pitch for a team that lost 100 games. If the Phillies win this series – their first since 1980 and second in franchise history — it won’t be a miracle. This team is really good!

The 51st Catanoso Family Reunion will be held tomorrow at the Avalon Campground in Clermont, NJ. These events started as small affairs with nine siblings and their children in the backyard of Uncle Tony and Aunt Phyllis’ home in North Wildwood, NJ. The events have grown in size over the years as the 22 grandchildren of Carmelo and Caterina Catanoso began families of their own. Four generations are now represented. The photo here, which is included in my book, was taken in 2003.

Journalist David Robinson, who covers religion for the Main Line Times in Armore, Pa., just outside Philadelphia, writes a long and thoughtful review of My Cousin the Saint in the current issue. The review is here.:

An excerpt:

“Catanoso weaves his story of My Cousin the Saint with threads from Padre Gaetano’s life amid the villages of southern Italy, and the American story of Carmelo Catanoso (the author’s grandfather and a cousin of the saint) who fled Italy in 1903 and never looked back. Equally compelling are the author’s confessions as he seeks to understand his God, church and the river of questions that dilute his faith.”

Debbie Barsotti, a talented reporter for the Catholic Star Herald (Camden, NJ diocese), writes about “My Cousin the Saint” in this week’s issue of the paper. An excerpt:

“In Catanoso’s book, the stories of both his grandfather and the sainted cousin come alive. There is historical perspective about life on both continents. ‘In order for me to write about them,’ Catanoso said, ‘I knew I needed to provide enough history to bring them life in the context of their time. Otherwise you couldn’t appreciate the courage of both of them.’ “

The whole story is here.