Mick Mulvany, author of With Your Spirit, shares his wisdom with readers in a unique way while staying true to the traditions of the Catholic Church. His style of writing reaches out in a more personal way, touching on ideas of life, love and family to illuminate the scripture. Mick Mulvany’s career as a priest has stretched over 30 plus years; without doubt 30 plus years of connecting with his community and God’s Word. His passion shows through the book. The purpose is to welcome all to grow in faith, happily and generously. In this interview, Mulvany tells us a little more about his book and his background!
Tell us about your book.
With Your Spirit: 30 Years Preaching the Sunday Scripture is about inspiring people while walking through the Sunday readings. The homilies in this collection will draw people in through the inherited Irish tradition of storytelling. Sharing stories of growing up in a family of modest means, I hope to illuminate the scripture in a way that meaningfully speaks to what life is truly about and how we should be leading it.
What is the primary benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book?
Each homily interprets and applies the scriptures in a way that is creative and fresh but also faithful to the tradition of the Catholic Church. The call to conversion is sometimes delivered with a soft touch and other times with a clarion call to action. So whether it’s delivered with humor, sorrow, through a love of sports, or in the context of a dear loss, the purpose of it all is to enable the reader to grow in faith and find inspiration in their daily walk through life.
If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be?
Possibly the author Richard Rohr (Falling Upward, Things Hidden) or some of the writing of James Martin, S. J. (Editor at large at America magazine). However, both are at whole different level than I.
Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book?
My hope is that I am able to speak the Word of God in an inviting way makes these homilies worthy reflections for all people. If there is one common experience that we all have, and I think that the pandemic certainly brought this into focus for people, is that we feel alone at times. We feel unworthy, not enough; we assume that others have it together, but somehow, we lack. The stories in this book of family and living bring to the heart a voice of the Holy Spirit. The compassion of God can be found in these words and will bring a wellspring of hope and peace to your soul. There is no one who is outside of God’s mercy, and that is a balm that we are in need of.
Who is your target audience?
I would say that the primary audience is 30–70 year old men and women who have experienced life and are looking for a way to feel some hope and inspiration in the world in which we live. It is also for anyone who needs a book to help reflect on their lives and their relationship with God and other people.
Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage?
Of course, the book is full of stories of my family from my upbringing even until recent times. These illustrations help to open the scriptures to our everyday lives. I am very grateful to my family for trusting me with our shared stories.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?
It has been the feedback that I have received unsolicited. A father of a young family man who I have known for many years texted me how much he is enjoying the book that his son bought him. I have been amazed by the reach of the book.
How would you describe your writing style?
Everything in the book started out as spoken word on the Sundays of the year. I had to take that spoken word and re-write it as successfully as I could so that it reads well. So, it may not be perfect, but I think you can hear the voice of one talking as you read, and my hope is it will be the voice of the Spirit.
