Catholic Speaker month: Dawn Eden

Dawn Eden was born to a Jewish family in New York City. When she was in high school, she lost her faith and became an agnostic. During her 20s, in the 1990s, she worked as a rock journalist, interviewing bands for music magazines. She went on to work for New York City newspapers, including the New York Post and the Daily News.

She underwent a dramatic conversion to Christianity at age 31, which eventually led her to enter the Catholic Church. With her new faith came a change in lifestyle as she discovered the truth and beauty of Christian teachings on chastity.

That led to the publication of her first book, describing her personal transformation in hope of helping others make positive changes in their own lives: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On. Currently in its ninth printing, The Thrill has also been published in Spanish, Polish, and Chinese. Dawn has discussed it on NBC's "Today" show and EWTN's "Life on the Rock."
Now living in Washington, D.C., where she is pursuing a graduate degree in theology, Dawn has spoken about chastity to college students and young-adult groups throughout North America, England, Ireland, and Poland, as well as at World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney.

Catholic Speaker Month Participant at Fallible Blogma.

Here is my interview:

Dawn, you began your career as a rock journalist living the "Sex in the City" lifestyle. Now you are a happily famous, chaste Catholic single woman living in the center of God's will for you.

What would the old you make of who you are now?

"If I had known when I was a rock journalist, during the 1990s, that I would be a Catholic author and speaker, studying for an M.A. in theology at Dominican House of Studies, it would have shocked me, for two reasons.
"First, I would never have expected to have a religious conversion. It was something I wanted throughout my teens and 20s, because I wanted to be happy, and I knew that faith made people happy. But I had tried numerous times to work myself up into a believing state of mind, and concluded in frustration that faith was not a gift that had been given to me. I was resigned to being an agnostic.
"Second, I would never have expected to find personal fulfillment in a career other than rock journalism. That field was extremely limited in terms of job opportunities, but I felt hopelessly locked into it because there was no other kind of work that I enjoyed. So the idea that I could be happy studying theology, or writing and speaking about faith and personal growth, would have amazed me.
"I also would have been extremely surprised to find myself pro-life and conservative, but that would not have surprised me as much as my spiritual and vocational transformation.
"When I give talks, I imagine that there are people present who are as I was, and I speak to them the way I wish someone had spoken to me. Had I known as an unconverted rock journalist that I could have the level of personal happiness and fulfillment that I have now, it would have intrigued me, even if I were mystified by my older self's faith and lifestyle. Everyone longs for God's healing grace, whether they realize it or not; I was no different."

You had a famous blog "The Dawn Patrol" which you discontinued to pursue other avenues. What are you doing with all that free time you used to blog?
"I am currently in my second year towards a master's in theology at Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. My goal is to attain a doctorate in moral theology so that I might become a professor at a small Catholic college. I would love to write another book if a publisher approached me to write one, but for now am happy to continue my studies and give talks."

Your readers might like to see an example of one of my talks. Here is one I gave at Baylor University this past October 12:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3485ACF9D635CA70

Also, I would be grateful if you would let readers know about my first Headline Bistro column, on an author who helps pregnant women suffering from HG:

http://headlinebistro.com/hb/en/columnists/eden/20091013.html

A gifted writer, Dawn Eden is also a delightful person to know.

I first met Dawn at Faith on Tap on Long Island where she told the story of how being outed as a pro-life blogger caused her to be fired from the New York Post. Her outspoken eloquence inspired me to come out as a pro-life blogger at the college where I worked.

We shared a podium at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists at St John's University Law School in 2007, for a discussion on the role of the Catholic Blogosphere. When I moved to a quiet Catholic corner of Connecticut, I was delighted to discover that Dawn had found it too and quickly became a favorite of my pastor, Fr Tito, and the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Her powerful message make her a compelling speaker; watch her interview with Friar Roderic of AirMaria.

Dawn Eden is a beautiful Catholic woman whose humility makes her an excellent role model for young women. She is an engaging speaker who exposes society's lies that sexual immorality leads to happiness while her gentle compassion invites those who have failed at resisting tempation to the compassionate embrace of Our Lord.