Extraordinary Ordinary Lives

Media coverage

2009-07-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Source: The Southwest Review
Publication date: July 6, 2009

"The book gives readers a glimpse into the sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, always interesting lives of the Minnesota Visitation sisters in Mendota Heights."

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Media coverage

2009-06-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Source: The New York Times
Publication date: June 19, 2009

"Called Extraordinary Ordinary Lives: Vocation Stories of Minnesota Visitation Sisters, it 'explains who we are, where we’re from, how we got here and why we’ve stayed. It bursts with the kind of personal narratives Dad embraced.' "

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Speaking engagement

2009-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Place: Presbyterian Homes in Inver Grove Heights
Date: June 8, 2009

To see a picture, click here.

Media coverage

2009-06-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Source: The Catholic Spirit
Publication date: May 20, 2009

"The decline in numbers of Roman collars is well documented and well known, but the religious shortage is hitting women hardest."

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Media coverage

2009-06-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Source: The Catholic Spirit
Publication date: May 20, 2009

"The call to religious life baffles many lay Catholics. What does it sound like? How is it answered? Is it a one-time deal -- called, answered, done?"

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Media coverage

2009-06-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

Source: The Diocese of New Ulm
Publication date: May 10, 2009

"The Visitation Monastery has published a groundbreaking book profiling 14 local nuns who have boldly lived out the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Biographies of Saint Therese of Lisieux and Mother Teresa abound, but no author has chronicled a group of ordinary, low-profile nuns before."

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Critical acclaim

2009-05-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

"Elsa Hofmeister and the Sisters of the Visitation have collaborated on a powerful history of remarkable individual lives in an enduring and beloved institution. An intensely moving document, detailed, attentive, and refreshingly candid -- a real treasure."

-Patricia Hampl
award-winning author of The Florist's Daughter

Media coverage

2009-05-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

Source: The Catholic Spirit
Publication date: May 6, 2009

"Some assignments take a little longer to finish. Elsa Thompson Hofmeister’s final submission to her beloved English teacher comes five years after her death and half a century after Hofmeister sat in her classroom.

It is worth the wait."

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Media coverage

2009-05-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Source: Thisweek Newspapers
Publication date: April 30, 2009

"Hofmeister’s interview subjects range from their 40s to 101 (Sister Margaret Agnes, born in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in 1908). When she encountered bashfulness or reluctance, Hofmeister gently prodded her subjects, which shows in the book’s giving exchanges between subject and interviewer.

The result is a rare chronicle of the lives of low-profile nuns going about their vocations each day, serving their community through the worldwide order of the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary."

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About the author

2009-05-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Elsa Thompson Hofmeister has a long association with the Visitation Sisters, as both an alumna (Class of 1956) and a retired administrator of their school. A career educator, she holds degrees from three universities in English, counseling and administration.

This book is an expression of her profound appreciation for the spiritual insight the sisters imparted to her as a student, colleague and, especially, through the interviews contained in this book.

Elsa lives in Burnsville, Minn., with her husband, Don, who shares her love and admiration for the Visitation Sisters. This is her first book.