Mary Joan Wallace

After majoring in journalism and social work in her home town of Missoula at Montana State University (now called the University of Montana), Mary Joan Wallace (known as Mary Jo) earned her master's degree in social work from Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. She worked in foster care and adoptions before living in Adaban in southern Iran from 1960 to 1967—where her husband Jack was an economic analyst at a large Iranian oil refinery. Then they were able to travel within 35 countries, enjoying studying different cultural and religious beliefs and practices.

Between 1974 and 1979 they were part of a small team in southern California that planned and presented over 240 weekly Catholic TV programs, It's a Brand New Day, for Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Programs featured personal testimonies of guests about Jesus in their lives. Mary Jo attended weekly meetings to plan programs, obtained background information for program hosts, handled publicity, and answered letters from viewers.

She is the author of Medjugorje, Its Background and Messages, published by Follow Me Communications. A second revised and updated edition in 1991 with 87 illustrations has been available from Amazon and for those contacting www.spiritenterprises.com.

After moving to Atascadero in the central coast area of California, Mary Jo and her husband became Benedictine oblates of the Monastery of the Risen Christ. Later, in 2013 she became a secular Franciscan (OFS). She is the mother of four children (including two step children whom she partly raised), and she is a grandmother and great grandmother. Her husband Jack passed away in 1996.

Her Kindle book, Mary's Life and Reflections - As Seen in the Mystical City of God is a 2017 updated summarization of highlights from a 17th Century classic by Ven. Mary of Agreda. Included in the Appendix near the end of this book are many providential happenings that Mary Jo experienced while writing her three books about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Her Kindle book, The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe - God's Gift for Us All is an updated 2017 edition of an earlier work. It contains pictures and information of 13 people from 1531, including three children and their family members, reflected from enlargements up to 2,500 times of both eyes of the original Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. These pictures were made available by Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann, after his extensive use of special IBM equipment for over 20 years of preparing the enlargements, starting in 1979. With his permission, these photographs are included in Mary Jo’s work. Both books are available on Kindle.