·S2 E32
Not a Cry Room, but a Training Room: Author Steve Walton on Children at Mass
Episode Description
Steve Walton is an author, former Army Ranger, father of four, and grandfather of five. Steve joins Belle Meade to talk about converting to Catholicism at fifteen, a career built on writing, and his new board book, Loving God: A Mass Book for Little Hands.
Steve describes finding illustrator Claudia Corrales in Savannah, why he set out to make the Mass book he never found as a young parent, and how the finished book is reaching parishes and Catholic bookstores. He also covers the free coloring sheets on his website, the Mass book for older children now in progress, and twenty years as a Scout leader.
What We Talk About:
- The yes at fifteen: converting to Catholicism in southern Louisiana, meeting one-on-one with a priest before the RCIA program existed
- Why Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God is the book Steve keeps returning to
- Finding illustrator Claudia Corrales in Savannah, and what her artwork brought to the board book
- What Steve says to the parent whose child is loud at Mass—and why his parish calls it a training room, not a cry room
- Where the book is available now, the free downloadable coloring sheets, and the Mass book for older children in progress
Resources Mentioned:
- Loving God: A Mass Book for Little Hands
- The Practice of the Presence of God (TAN Books)
- Steve's Substack
- Paloma&Fig
Chapters:
- 00:00: Introduction
- 00:30: Welcome and Opening Prayer
- 02:28: The Yes at Fifteen
- 04:33: Louisiana, Oscar Romero, and the Road to Writing
- 10:10: The Practice of the Presence of God
- 13:04: The Book and Its Illustrator, Claudia Corrales
- 17:59: Bringing the Book to Mass
- 20:36: Why Mass Came First
- 22:56: The Parent Just Getting Through Sunday Morning
- 30:41: Where to Buy the Book
- 33:56: Coloring Sheets and a Book for Older Children
- 38:59: Twenty Years as a Scout Leader
Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios
Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn.
Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com.
Join in the conversation by joining our Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!