Paul Wilkes

Paul Wilkes, author of the newly released Holding God In My

Hands from Liguori Publications, is one of America’s most

respected writers on religious belief and personal spirituality.

He is the author of over twenty books, and the host, writer,

director or producer of seven PBS documentaries.

His book, In Due Season: A Catholic Life, was chosen by

Publishers Weekly as one of 2009’s 100 outstanding books.

In a review, PW called In Due Season “an exquisite memoir

that often reads like a novel .”

Paul lectures across the country about the role of religious

belief in individual lives as well the place and impact of

religion in public life. As a commentator on religious issues,

he has appeared on all major television networks.

His book, In Mysterious Ways: The Death and Life of a Parish

Priest, was a Book of the Month Club selection, and won a

Christopher Award. In addition to MERTON, which aired

on PBS, Paul Wilkes was host, writer, and associate producer

of the acclaimed television series, SIX AMERICAN

FAMILIES, which won a DuPont-Columbia award for

documentary excellence.

He has written for numerous national magazines, such as The

New Yorker, The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine,

and is a former reporter for the Baltimore Sun and the Boulder

(Colorado) Daily Camera.

He has been a visiting writer and guest lecturer at Clark

University, Columbia University, the University of

Pittsburgh, College of the Holy Cross, Boston University and

Brooklyn College. He was Welch Visiting Chair at Notre

Dame, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University

of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Paul has been honored for his body of work with a

Distinguished Alumnus Award from Columbia University's

Graduate School of Journalism, where he received his

advanced degree, and with a By-Line Award from

Marquette University, where he graduated.

A practicing Catholic, active in his parish, he lives in

Wilmington, North Carolina, with his wife Tracy, who

founded DREAMS, an arts program for at-risk children. The

Wilkes have two sons, Noah and Daniel.

In 2006, Paul founded Homes of Hope India-US to assist

orphanages and schools for street children in India. He is a

co-founder of CHIPS (Christian Help in Park Slope), a

Brooklyn center that has served the poor and homeless

young mothers and children for over thirty-five years.