Book Review: The JPII Field Guide by Bobby Angel & Jackie Angel

“Designed as a Catholic devotional-style retreat, The JPII Field Guide invites you to step into the witness of this great saint through his own words and example. Bobby and Jackie Angel, who first met while studying the Theology of the Body, draw from John Paul II’s legacy to craft an eight-day journey with the virtues that shaped Karol Wojtyla into John Paul the Great.”

Blurb for The JPII Field Guide

Review:

Pope John Paul II will forever be one of my favorite saints, not only because of his life and legacy, but also because he is one of the only saints (currently) who was alive in my lifetime. I have vivid memories of his papacy (which impresses me as he passed away when I was still a child). Needless to say, this ‘field guide’ was a perfect find for me.

The JPII Field Guide is an eight-day retreat rooted in the teachings of Pope John Paul II. It includes reflections on the saint’s life, quotes, prayers, and journaling prompts that correlate to that day’s reading. His story alone will inspire, and having these reflections and prayers paired with these excerpts makes this a rich, spiritual retreat. 

Instead of reading through this devotional like I normally do for the sake of a review, I was intentional about when and where I picked up this book. Although I doubled up on the days, I let myself sit with the readings. All but one of those days, I read it while sitting in a church or on church grounds. This can hypothetically be read in one sitting, but I strongly recommend following the day-by-day format and following the prompts for the fullest experience.

Undoubtedly, this is a devotional that readers will be revisiting over and over again.

A huge thanks to Ave Maria Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital ARC!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Spent a good amount of time discussing different moments in Pope John Paul II’s life.
• Great journaling and life prompts.

What I didn’t like:

• Formatting is my only complaint, but that will obviously be fixed in the published editions.

Afterthoughts:

One of my reading days fell on a preexisting retreat day and the timing made me smile because it was the section of the book that discussed his assassination attempt, which fell on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and went on to discuss what the correlation meant to him. I happened to be at a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima.

Where to buy the book: