"I will never forget the first day I walked into a Catholic church," recalls Heidi Saxton. "I looked both ways to make sure nobody saw me. After all, I had been taught to believe that Catholics were not really Christians."

 Heidi, currently enrolled in the Master of Theology program at Sacred Heart, was raised in a devoted Protestant family. She earned a degree in missions and theology from an evangelical college in Minneapolis before going to spread the gospel in Poland, Mexico and Africa.

Yet, at the age of twenty-seven, a series of personal crises forced her to question the depth of her faith life.

 Then came that "quick peek" into a Catholic church in 1992. It led to six months of Mass attendance and a "profound sense of the experience of God" while praying before the Blessed Sacrament. Following the Spirit's prompting, she entered the RCIA program at Holy Family Parish in South Pasadena, California. In 1993 Heidi became a member of the Catholic family.

But little did she realize how profoundly the Lord, and his mother, would use her from that time on in their work of the new evangelization.

"May I Sit With You?"

Shortly after her conversion, Servant Publications, an ecumenical book publishing house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, hired Heidi as an editor. Though surrounded by devout Catholics, she still struggled with some Church teachings, particularly devotion to the Virgin Mary. That is, until a friend handed her a Miraculous Medal and suggested she speak with Mary about the loneliness Heidi was feeling during Mass after losing a close friend.

"Tell her about it, and see what happens," her friend advised.

"Why would I do a silly thing like that?" Heidi recalls thinking at the time. Nonetheless, she offered Jesus a challenge. One Sunday morning before Mass, Heidi prayed, "If it's OK to ask your mother for help, then send a sign. How about sending someone to sit with me?"

Heidi entered the church and closed her eyes in prayer. Soon she sensed someone standing next to her. "I just moved from New York. May I sit with you?" asked a strange woman. This same thing happened not once, but incredibly three weeks in a row.

 "It's just a profound example of the benevolence of God," says Heidi. "Mary could not have answered my prayer without God saying, 'This girl really needs help!'"

Mary Not  "Out There"

Heidi's journey from being a book editor, to author, to grad student, is no less led by providence. Her position at Servant included the task of finding qualified authors to develop book ideas. One day the thought came to her: Wouldn't it be more satisfying to produce the books herself?

Servant agreed. From 1998-2001 it published Heidi's Let Nothing Trouble You, a compilation of spiritual insights of St. Teresa of Avila; Quiet Moments with Oswald Chambers, a manual of daily readings by the renowned Scottish biblical scholar; and a coauthored book about the power of compassion, Touched by Kindness. Zondervan published in 1999 Bright Hope for Your Future, a collection inspirational passages for teens. Loyola Press just released her latest work of original meditations, With Mary in Prayer.

"The book is the fruit of my gradual understanding of Mary," Heidi explains. "She is not just the mother of Jesus, but truly our mother as well. She is not remote and 'out there.' She has her eye on us and knows our heart. We can connect with her on a personal level."

Communicating The Truth

With the support of Craig, her husband of three years, Heidi has resigned from Servant and is working on freelance writing projects. To help with her research, in 2001 she began taking prerequisite courses at Sacred Heart to prepare for the MA Theology program. The experience has been challenging but extremely rewarding.

 "The Christian life is very much a journey, and the intellectual development of a human being is a journey, too," Heidi relates. "But my classes at Sacred Heart are not so cerebrally oriented that they are not practical.

 "For instance, in moral theology we talk about things that touch the human experience, right here and now. This is important, so we can communicate to those of other faiths that what the Catholic Church teaches is true.

" Where might the MA degree lead down the road?

Heidi answers with a smile. "God—and Our Lady—only knows."

To order Heidi's books contact the SHMS bookstore.  To contact her hsaxton@christianword.com