The inspirational true story of a 16-year-old American farm girl who sailed to France to open a Catholic religious order in 1919.
Mary Margaret Doyle spoke no French and knew nothing of the social, political, and religious challenges facing Europe between world wars. Her Irish American farm family in America at the same time coped with physical and financial hardship during the post-World War I farm crisis that led to the Great Depression. Their daughter, meanwhile, dug vegetables from a frozen abandoned garden to survive in a deserted monastery in Provins, France. Mary Margaret witnessed her new order, the Last Apostles of the Sacred Heart, struggle to feed themselves, to make the ancient stone monastery into a livable home for the sisterhood, to deal with unsympathetic bishops, and to avoid the French government's systematic persecution of Christians.
Sister Margaret's strong faith continued to grow after she is called to serve the sick and dying throughout France. Her letters to her family are laced with naivete, sly humor, convent pranks, and deep dedication to God and her sister-comrades before she is called to heaven.
Reader reviews of From Our Hearts There Is No Distance:
"I was impacted by Sr. Margaret, her faith and innocence. In fact, I really admire the perseverance, faith and courage of the whole Doyle family-shown in their hard work and ability to carry on in the face of difficult situations. I'm struck by comparing families today, and it often seems like many would not survive and thrive the way they did 100 years ago."
"This book is so full of history surrounding the young woman's call from God to devout herself totally to others. I laughed. I cried. I was moved to ponder and pray. I'll be reading it a second time soon."
"This book is an excellent read. The book will take you back in time. An inside look into a family's life on the farm. I also enjoyed the religious experience that the young woman had as a nun. An excellent recount of the history of the time."
