Ann Garrido

Part of the Thankful Thursdays Series

I can’t remember when I first heard Ann Garrido’s name, but it may have been when an Ave Maria Press catalog landed on my desk, advertising a little book called Redeeming Administration: Twelve Spiritual Habits for Catholic Leaders. I ordered it at once and benefitted immediately from Ann’s fluent integration of prayer and practice, delivered in bite-sized, memorable concepts. My takeaways included things like (and here I paraphrase): The administrator’s job is to create an environment where everyone on the staff can thrive and Do what only you can do . . . in the service of which, make sure everyone knows how to change the toner in the copier!

When I was on the planning team for a gathering of campus ministers from Catholic colleges and universities, I jumped at the chance to invite Ann to speak and discovered that she is even more delightful in person. And get this cool day job: she’s an Associate Professor of Homiletics at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.  No wonder she speaks as well as she writes! 

Since then, I’ve come to love some of Ann’s other books. As a campus minister, I often used her Redeeming Conflict in student leadership workshops. I still try to practice its principles, such as maintaining an awareness of the difference between intent and impact as well as approaching potential conflicts with curiosity and a presumption of goodwill.  But my favorite is Preaching to the Choir, a collection of forty selections of her preaching with the Aquinas Institute community. Not only are her reflections powerful, but they illustrate the potency of breaking open the Word in a setting where we know and are known by the congregation. (Ann also has contributed to Catholic Women Preach, so you experience her there.)

Ann’s reflections illustrate the potency of breaking open the Word in a setting where we know and are known by the congregation.”

From reading Ann’s monthly newsletter, I know that—in addition to her teaching, writing, and postcasting work—she maintains a busy travel schedule, giving talks and workshops across the county.  For my campus ministry peeps, here’s an exciting virtual event coming October 3: a CCMA symposium on “Embracing the Spirituality of Administration.” Check it out!

Ann has been a gracious mentor of my writing career for many years. I remember a long conversation when I was working on my first book, in which she talked me through some of the nuances of the publishing industry. I’ve circled back to her for advice and endorsements several times since then, and she has been beautifully responsive.

Here’s what she had to say about Finding God Along the Way: “Although I have never walked the Ignatian Camino, I feel as if I have reaped the benefits of doing so by reading Eberle’s spiritual travelogue of her pilgrimage. The questions she asks at the end of each reflection remind me that life is a pilgrimage and that whether I travel through Spain or my own backyard, it is the same God who is leading the way.”

For Ann Garrido’s commitment to excellent preaching in the Church, and her encouragement of my own efforts to connect spirituality, Scripture, and everyday life, I am truly grateful.