Finding Sanctuary
How the Wild Work of Peace Restored the Heart of a Sandy Hook Mother
by Jennifer Hubbard
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Pub Date Apr 23 2021 | Archive Date May 19 2021
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Description
Where is God when the innocent suffer? Jennifer Hubbard began to grapple with the question in 2012 when her six-year-old daughter Catherine was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the depths of her grief, Hubbard founded an animal sanctuary in Catherine’s memory, creating a place of healing for her family and their community and fulfilling her daughter’s dream.
Hubbard’s courageous witness will uplift your faith and demonstrate how Christ’s redemptive suffering provides a path of hope, even in the darkest moments of our lives.
Hubbard’s daughter Catherine was a happy little girl who wanted to spend her life rescuing animals. All that changed on the morning of December 14, 2012. Though her daughter’s tragic death marked the end of Hubbard’s world as she’d known it, she instinctively held on to her faith in God, realizing it was the only way she could bear the initial impact of her daughter’s death and the subsequent waves of grief and loss as her marriage ended and she was forced to forge a new life.
A typographic mistake on Catherine’s obituary led Hubbard to an unexpected invitation to fulfill her daughter’s dreams of opening an animal shelter. She began to channel her grief into a work of peace by starting a foundation in her daughter’s memory, by writing, and by helping her son recover after surviving the tragedy that took his sister’s life. Ultimately, it was Hubbard’s faith that gave her the courage to entrust her daughter to God and to seek his plan for her own life. “God helped me to look back on my life up to that time and to see all the ways he had been preparing me for what was to come,” she writes.
In Finding Sanctuary, Hubbard shares her journey of healing and transformation in order to help those who may be grappling with an inability to trust in the goodness of God. You will learn:
· to recognize the diamonds of divine insight and encouragement when you are deep in the mine of pain and despair;
· to be patient with yourself as you take the time you need to process what is happening; and
· to look both to the past and the present for signs of God’s presence, preparing you to move toward acceptance, forgiveness, and peace.
Each chapter in the book is dedicated to one step in Hubbard’s journey toward wholeness and includes reflection questions to guide you to consider what God is teaching you as you make your own way toward God’s kingdom of peace.
A Note From the Publisher
She has been a guest on a variety of national television shows, including Today, CBS News, and ABC News. She also has been featured on Catholic News Agency and is a monthly guest on Spirit Morning Radio in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hubbard earned her bachelor’s degree from Randolph Macon Women’s College. She is a member of the board of trustees at Fraser Woods Montessori School. She lives with her son in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
Advance Praise
“Jennifer Hubbard’s achingly beautiful book takes us to the heart of horror and leads us out to an otherwise unimaginable hope.”
From the foreword by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.
Founding editor-in-chief of Magnificat
“Jennifer Hubbard is a woman of great courage, deep wisdom, and genuine vulnerability. Through her moving words and transparent faith, she shows us that peace can meet us in our pain and hope can make its home within our hearts. This book will inspire and encourage all who would welcome a little more peace in their lives.”
Rev. Brian R. Mowrey
Lead pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church
Bethel, Connecticut
“With raw candor straight from a mother’s heart, Hubbard offers hard-won wisdom on healing for anyone who has ever loved and lost and dared to keep leaning on Jesus through it all.”
Colleen Carroll Campbell
Author of The Heart of Perfection
“As a mother who understands the deep grief of losing a child, I could not recommend this book highly enough. Sharing from the rawness of her grief, Hubbard’s supplications to God give witness to the reader that there is always a way out of the darkness.”
Mary E. Lenaburg
Author of Be Brave in the Scared
“In sharing her raw pain and deep sorrow following the tragic loss of her beautiful daughter, Jennifer Hubbard allows you to journey with her to purpose and hope. Finding Sanctuary will lift your faith in times of darkness and allow you to see a God who walks side by side with you, a God who loves us all deeply and keeps his promises.”
Michele Faehnle
Author of Divine Mercy for Moms, The Friendship Project, and Pray Fully
“This book is a miracle. Jennifer Hubbard's Finding Sanctuary has risen from the depths of pain as something beautiful to help bring God’s love down upon the darkest places and thoughts in our lives. Her witness is a courageous gift and so is this book."
Kathryn Jean Lopez
Senior Fellow at National Review Institute
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781646800612 |
| PRICE | $15.95 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Maria G, Reviewer
Some stories are so tragic that it is difficult to imagine survivors finding recovery. But Jennifer Hubbard is no ordinary woman, and her pathway to healing and hope is incredible.
Hubbard, who is a gifted storyteller, speaks about the unspeakable in Finding Sanctuary: How the Wild Work of Peace Restored the Heart of a Sandy Hook mother. Hubbard's beloved six-year-old daughter died in the Sandy Hook school shooting. With determination and grace, the author recounts how she managed to find peace in the wake of a mother's worst nightmare.
I was riveted by Hubbard's candor and vulnerability; I was captivated by her resolve and resilience.
Rather than becoming embittered and unforgiving, Hubbard has managed to carve out a life that rises from the ashes of pain, giving hope to the most despairing among us.
Whether you are in the throes of grief or have been wounded by heartache in some other way, let Jennifer Hubbard help you discover a path forward to a place of soul-nourishing peace.
Bill G, Media/Journalist
Finding Sanctuary is one of the most moving and powerful books that I have read in many years. Jenny Hubbard is the epitome of courage and grace. The unbearable heartache of losing a child compounded by the horrific manner in which it occurred is laid in front of the reader as is the path she took to find a way to carry on in spite of such gut-wrenching grief.
The raw emotions that pour from the book are, at times, overwhelming. And, at other times, remarkably inspirational. Finding Sanctuary is a compelling story that pulls the reader in and leaves a lasting impression on your heart and in your soul.
Can good come from bad? Yes, without reservation as illustrated by this remarkable book. The story of Jenny Hubbard’s journey to sanctuary and her continuing work will certainly have a profound impact on all who listen to her story.
Alice D, Reviewer
Finding Sanctuary is a beautiful yet heart wrenching example of true faith. Faith in God, faith in her own strength and faith in the journey. Jenny shows us the way and encourages us to open our eyes and heart to the gentle messages from God. Finding Sanctuary has something that touches each and every one of us. A book to read over and over.
Kelly M, Reviewer
“In lieu of flowers . . .” The first four words of "Finding Sanctuary" stopped me in my tracks. But yet as I pushed beyond that initial sentence, the grace, the vulnerability, the courage—the faith—that Jenny captures is just simply beautiful. For anyone walking this earth with a heavy heart steeped in loss, "Finding Sanctuary" is a must read. For anyone questioning the power of faith, please read. For anyone searching for hope amidst deep and profound grief, this book will bring you comfort and peace, "Finding Sanctuary" is a powerful culmination of Jenny's incredible talents as she weaves a story of unfathomable loss and the turbulent aftermath-- juxtaposed with the power of healing, compassion and kindness. Just like Catherine.
Reviewer 813165
Jenny takes you through her emotional journey as a mother and woman suffering an unimaginable tragedy to finding peace, healing and renewed faith.
She captures the reader with words that share, teach and give hope. Written from the heart, it is absolutely worth the read!
Karen M, Reviewer
Finding Sanctuary is a look inside the raw and emotional spiritual journey of Jennifer Hubbard. An everyday mom and wife, her world was knocked upside down when she lost her daughter, Catherine, in the Sandy Hook shooting. Jennifer shows us how she found her faith, gave her pain to God, and let the grief change her for the better. She writes as if speaking to a best friend, who reaches out from her own grief to show us that no matter what our pain is, there is hope and healing. This is a difficult true story to read, and even more difficult to put down. Sad, but encouraging, this book will help strengthen your own journey and remind you that no matter the circumstances God will always reach out and show you the way. (I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.)
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