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Meet the Catholic Spiritual Writer Chris Manion

Meet the Catholic Spiritual Writer Chris Manion

Last updated on: May 18, 2026 at 6:00 am by Mark Wilson

Meet the Catholic Spiritual Writer Chris Manion 2026-05-05T07:02:23-05:00 Mark Wilson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When I was praying recently, trying to reassure myself of God’s love of me, I thought of the title of one of Chris Manion’s books. God’s Patient Pursuit of My Soul. Just the title alone gave me some peace thinking how patient God is with me in trying to fill my soul with his life. Chris is a woman who is filled with the love of God and has expressed it in her writing. She speaks to adults with contemplative writing and to children in her stories suited for them. It’s encouraging to see someone embrace their Catholic faith so tightly and give it away so easily. I hope you will be uplifted as you…

1. Tell something interesting about yourself

I worked in prison ministry for years. I learned what it feels like to be a servant leader as a woman in corporate America in the 70s and early 80s. I’ve flown through a full circle rainbow in a glider plane in Oahu, Hawaii. I’ve seen the face of Jesus. The latter prompted my WIP.

2. What makes a good Catholic writer?

Putting aside what makes a good writer, a good Catholic writer draws the reader into a relationship with Christ, with the Holy Trinity, through relatable and intriguing stories in such a way that the reader’s passion to further explore the richness of the Catholic Church burns within his/her heart.

3. What do you like about being a Catholic/Christian Writer?

What I like about being a Catholic author/writer is how it taps the deep joy I have about my faith, about God, about the sacraments, about how my entire life in rooted in the Church and its history. I wrote my first book for the general Christian audience. After my third book, God nudged me to focus on the Catholic audience. My heart is so happy to obey this directive.

4. What is the Main focus of your particular Writing or what do you like to write about?

I like to write about hearing God’s voice. There’s a lot of misconceptions about God answering prayer, hearing his voice, and what that means exactly. I’ve been hearing his voice for 55 years.

5. How does your Catholic Faith influence your writing?

My faither is inseparable from who I am and how I write.

6. What’s your favorite article/Post/book/story you have written?

Favorite post/book. My latest.

Recently, I’ve been traveling with high-end noise-cancelling headphones—a gift to soothe my tinnitus. They are a marvel of engineering; with a click, the roar of the terminal and the plane’s engine’s whine simply vanish. My nervous system exhales.

But as I read Cantalamessa—a Lenten practice in recent years—I wonder if I have developed a “noise-cancelling soul.”

“The Noise-Cancelling Soul: Silence, Tinnitus, and the Cry of the Poor” – Substack

7. What is your favorite topic/subject to write about?

Favorite topic: Jesus and His Spirit

8. Favorite scripture verse.

Favorite Scripture: John 17:21

That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

9. What are you currently working on?

My WIP is a Bible study titled: The Look Jesus Gives, under contract with Pauline Media and Books. Twelve Biblical characters talk to the reader about what it was like to receive the look from.

10. Name a favorite saint or Catholic or some other figure who inspires you in your life.

I named our daughter after my favorite saints, Doctors of the Church: St. Teresa of Avila

and St. Catherine of Siena

11. Who is your favorite Living Writer?

12. If you could have lunch with any deceased writer, who would it be, what would you eat, and what would you talk about?

If I could have lunch with a deceased author, it would be Thomas Aquinas. I wouldn’t care what I ate although a glass of wine would be nice. I’d ask him to describe what he saw and learned that stopped his writing the Suma Theologica?

Panel of an altarpiece from Ascoli Piceno, Italy, by Carlo Crivelli (15th century)

13. Name a favorite movie/tv show or music you find worth sharing with others.

Favorite music worth sharing: Gregorian chant. My husband and I sing in a chant choir.

14. Can you see one of your books being made into a movie or tv series?

I could see my current WIP being made into a movie. I’d see it produced by the same director as The Chosen. Angel Studios.

15. Favorite Historical event.

Favorite historical event? The life and death of Jesus would be first. After that, the angel Gabriel telling Zachariah he was going to have a son. I’d love to see a movie or read an author’s imagined story of that episode in the temple and how Zachariah had to deal with not being able to speak for the next 9 months. I’m fascinated with his story. But I’m fascinated by so many just like his.

Domenico Ghirlandaio’s fresco Zechariah Writes Down the Name of His Son (1490, fresco in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Florence)

This interview was published on
May 18, 2026

The day these events took place

1631 – In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.

1860 – United States presidential election: Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.

1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 is launched.

Apollo 10’s Lunar Module, Snoopy, approaches the Command and Service Module Charlie Brown for redocking

16. What else do you want people to know about anything?

I have a deep love for Catholic mysticism. Caryll Houselander is the next mystic I’d like to read.

The most interesting book on mystics I’ve read is by a Protestant vegetarian cookbook author Carol L. Flinders, titled, Enduring Grace: Living Portraits of Seven Women Mystics from Clare to Therese.

I’ve written about some of my mystical experiences in my memoir, God’s Patient Pursuit of My Soul.

God pursued me through college, several companies, marriage, and motherhood. I used to think I could get away with some behaviors, that God couldn’t always see what I was doing, that He had to be busy with others some of the time. The tides turned when I realized He saw into every room and closet, as well as my every thought.

I’m also now completing my first year as an Encounter School student Home – Encounter School of Ministry and learning much about the gifts of prophetic voice healing.

Learn More

Find her video devotions at (160) Chris Manion – YouTube

Join the Chris Manion group at (4) Facebook

Amazon.com: Chris Manion

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