- Thank you, thank you for the opportunity you offered our group of 80+ individuals in your presentation on “Meant to Be….” Your stories and inspiration offered our Faith Formation volunteer ministers a way to see that their commitment in faith to such a variety of ministries is God-directed. Your guide to PRAY by the easily remembered points: 1) Pay Attention, 2) Reflect, 3) Ask and 4) say “YES” to God’s call was magnificent!In celebrating our folks as volunteer ministers, you helped create awareness of the weaving of God’s design in our lives through simple tasks of teaching children or working to support programming in the office. You offered confidence in self and hearing the voice of God’s direction in our lives. You spoke with passion and humor and offered peace and strength.
We are most grateful.
Katie McCarty and the Faith Formation volunteer ministers of St. Joseph the Worker, Maple Grove, MN
- “I loved your openness to hearing/sharing stories from people of various religious backgrounds; would love to hear more stories.”
- “This presentation helped me learn how to find meaning while dealing with the loss of my mother”
- “I’m anxious to read the book. This gave me new insights concerning my own experiences
- “This gave me different ideas for how to listen and respond– a helpful way of looking at and understanding the unusual things that happen in my life.”
- “Mary was so much more than I even imagined. I had loved her book, but she is also such a dynamic speaker!”
- “I can’t wait to read your book and learn more about “Thin Places” especially regarding death and dying. My mother is 83 and in poor health, so this helps me cope with I will be dealing with very soon.
- “The presentation was excellent! Mary is a wonderful speaker! Please let me know about her other presentations.”
- “I loved this presentation and Mary! My own experiences and beliefs were reaffirmed.”
- “Real and genuine! I have “little and large miracles” daily-this helped me understand them. The talk was just great. Thank you!”
- “Mary is very upbeat and humorous. I really enjoyed the evening. What an interesting and inspiring discussion on signs and connections to our Higher Power!”
- “Mary is a passionate, witty and powerful speaker. Wonderful!”
- “I found this to be fascinating, a very good presentation. Developed a curious desire to learn more.”
- “This topic helped me understand my own visions. I can’t wait to read the book.”
- “I loved Mary’s energy. I look forward to many more wonderful experiences of my own, as I’ve had thin places since my husband died.”
- “I felt assured that I am not alone in my own thin place experiences. My expectations were dramatically met. Mary’s words and stories felt as though she had read my mail or my mind!”
- “This was the second time I have attended one of your presentations. It was totally different from the first talk, but it was still just great!”
- “I loved hearing other people’s stories and I will encourage others to buy the book. It helped me deal with the death of my son as I have had ‘thin places’ experiences involving him.”
Category Archives: Speaking Endorsements
Nancy Manahan Author, Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully
Last month, I listened to Mary O’Keefe’s Well Within radio show and was impressed by her understanding of the topics discussed, her thoughtful questions, and her perceptive comments. As a guest on her show last week, I got to experience her skills first hand. Having given hundreds of interviews, I recognize a rare, gifted interviewer, one who listens and speaks from the heart, is relaxed but alert, and gracefully goes with the flow rather than adhering to a script. I learned later that Mary had reread my book the day before our interview. Her preparation showed. Tune in here for a sample of Mary’s radio magic:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vshow.aspx?sid=1648.
Nancy Manahan Author, Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully
Kathy Enderlein, RN,CHTP,United Hospital System
“Mary was an energetic, knowledgeable and passionate speaker. Her presentation to the Minnesota Holistic Nurses Association was on “Renewing Ourselves Through Soul Friendships”. She had a passion for her topic and was a pleasure to listen to.”
Kathy Enderlein, RN,CHTP,United Hospital System
Sue Johnson, CRS, GRI,
Mary is a gifted and beautifully spiritual woman who shares the gifts of her spiritual connections in a way that we can all relate. Mary is funny and down-to-earth. I heard her speak once and as a result, invited her to speak to Birthright, a volunteer group with whom I’m associated. We have now invited her back for an even larger audience for Birthright’s State Conference in September 2010. I enjoy sharing her gifts and her book with friends, family and co-workers and I’m pleased to recommend her!
Carol James – Mt. Olivet Retreat Center
It was such a pleasure to have you at our Mount Olivet Conference and Retreat Center this past weekend. I found your presentations to be both informative and inspiring, and from reading our participants’ evaluations, they did as well. Thank you for your book. I am looking forward to reading it and to sharing it with a friend who I think will find it comforting. Thank you for sharing your ministry with us this weekend.
Blessings,
Carol James
Executive Director
Mt. Olivet Retreat Center
Paula Borer – Ridgeview Home Health Services
Dear Mary,
We are so pleased with the comments on our Holiday Hope and Healing Event (for hospice family members and survivors) and thank you for being our guest speaker. Your message was just great and resonated with many in attendance. We appreciate your joining us!
Paula Borer
Ridgeview Home Health Services
Waconia, MN
Ellen Capecchi – Presbyterian Homes and Services
Our community was blessed by Mary’s presentation. Mary was easy to work with. She returned calls and emails promptly. She accommodated our schedule and our budget. Mary’s approachable countenance and gentle spirit put our senior residents at ease. While the subject (of ‘thin places’) is a sensitive one, Mary presented it in a way that our residents could be receptive. Those in attendance were thrilled to get personalized messages in the books they later bought from Mary.
Should you have any questions, please contact me: ecapecchio@preshomes.org.
Ellen Capecchi
Chaplain
Presbyterian Homes and Services
Catherine (Cass) McLaughlin – Center for Spirituality and Healing
Dear Mary,
Thank you for speaking in the 2007 Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI), co-sponsored course for the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota titled: Refresh the Well Within: Maximize Your Healing Potential with Integrative Medicine.
Your presentation on Thin Places: Where Faith is Affirmed and Hope Dwells was well-received by participants and generated a lively discussion on Celtic spirituality, including the concept of thin places, where the veil between this world and the next one is very ‘thin’ and anam caras-the gaelic word for soul friends. The stories you shared from information contained in your book, Thin Places: Where Faith is Affirmed and Hope Dwells, allowed participants to delve into their own stories of synchronicity, intuition, and the sacred time before, during and after the death of loved ones.
You successfully created an experiential experience of Soul Friends. Participants shared what heals and what enables us to discover and discern the meaning of the thin places in our lives. It was truly a spiritual experience that affirmed faith and fostered hope in something wondrous beyond this life.
Thank you for the generosity of your time, speaking to this group from your own heartfelt experiences. I look forward to other opportunities to recommend your work and future collaborations with you and your colleagues at Well Within.
Catherine (Cass) McLaughlin
Outreach Coordinator
University of Minnesota
Center for Spirituality and Healing
Mary Conway-Jast – HealthEast Care System
I am pleased to recommend Mary Treacy O’Keefe as a dynamic, passionate and knowledgeable speaker and presenter. HealthEast Hospice was privileged to have Mary speak to our hospice volunteers about the journey she and her family experienced as they faced the many challenges and blessings that were present during the decline and death of her parents. Her description of “thin places,” those divine moments that are present in many of our interactions, was particularly helpful to our hospice volunteers. Mary help us see the possibilities and wonderment of being present to the dying and of recognizing signs and signals that are more than “coincidental.”
Mary’s stories are poignant, tender, humorous and compassionate. I was most impressed with her “presence” before, during and after her presentation and I’m recalling a moment of grace that she shared with an audience member who was struggling with her own terminal illness. This woman was able to share a private recollection of a “thin place” and was very comforted by Mary’s genuine compassion, insight and understanding.
I highly recommend Mary as an outstanding presenter and gifted spiritual companion.
Mary Conway -Jast
Coordinator, Hospice Volunteer Services
HealthEast Care System
Mary Treacy O'Keefe 