Book Launch Highlights: Rising Again – A Journey of Faith, Formation, and Surrender
On Sunday, June 14, 2026, a memorable and grace-filled celebration took place in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, as parishioners, family, friends, and community supporters gathered for the official launch of Fr. Nelson P. Boren’s memoir, Rising Again: A Journey of Faith, Formation, and Surrender. The event also served as a belated celebration of Fr. Nelson’s 11th ordination anniversary, since he was ordained on May 14, 2015.
Book Launch at the Stella Maris Hall, St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, Sunday, June 14, 2026.
The event was hosted by the dedicated volunteers of the Stella Maris Hall Corporation—Lisa Loder, Yvonne Edwards, and Judy Anne Turpin—along with volunteers from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Their hospitality, organization, and generosity made the gathering a meaningful celebration of faith, perseverance, and community.
Because Fr. Nelson remains on medical leave and his doctor has not yet cleared him to drive long distances, two Filipino friends, Terence Jocson and Miguel Mendoza, generously volunteered to accompany him on the journey. They drove from St. John’s to Marystown on Saturday, June 13, 2026, a four-hour trip, and continued to St. Lawrence the following morning. Their kindness and support ensured that Fr. Nelson could return to a community that had become a significant part of his priestly ministry.
Upon his arrival in St. Lawrence, Fr. Nelson was warmly welcomed by former parishioners and friends. The celebration began with a Thanksgiving Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Fr. Nelson served as the principal celebrant and homilist, while Fr. Cosmas Iweru, pastor of the parish, concelebrated the Mass and welcomed him back to the community he had faithfully served for six years, from March 2016 to May 2022.
In his homily, Fr. Nelson reflected on the many blessings, challenges, and memorable moments of his ministry in St. Lawrence, Little St. Lawrence, Lawn, Lord’s Cove, Lamaline, and Point May. He expressed gratitude for the faith, resilience, generosity, and friendship of the parishioners who had accompanied him throughout those years. He recalled the many community events, pastoral celebrations, and moments of joy and sorrow that strengthened the bonds between priest and people.
Following the Mass, the community gathered at Stella Maris Hall for the official book launch. The program opened with an introduction by Lisa Loder, who warmly welcomed Fr. Nelson and highlighted his contributions to parish and community life. She recalled his leadership during some of the parish’s most difficult periods, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic and the years of uncertainty surrounding the creditor protection proceedings of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s.
Lisa highlighted one of the most heartbreaking events of the pandemic, when five fishermen were lost at sea. At the time, public health restrictions made it impossible for parishioners to gather in church as usual to mourn and support one another. Amid this tragedy, Fr. Nelson reached out personally to the grieving families. He visited their homes, prayed with them in their living rooms, and led family prayer services that brought comfort, hope, and spiritual support. His presence reminded many that even when church doors were temporarily closed, the Church remained present through prayer, compassion, and accompaniment. Those visits became lasting memories of pastoral care during a time of profound grief.
Lisa also recalled Fr. Nelson’s efforts to sustain parish life throughout the pandemic, finding creative ways to keep parishioners connected in faith despite restrictions and uncertainties. She further acknowledged his support for parishioners during the difficult years when the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s entered creditor protection. The ensuing liquidation of church and parish assets to compensate victims and survivors of historical abuse created anxiety and uncertainty for many parish communities throughout the Archdiocese.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, St. Joseph’s Parish, and many rural parishes were not spared the effects of this process. During those difficult years, Fr. Nelson stood alongside his parishioners, encouraging them to remain united in faith and hope. As noted in the introduction, the survival of these parish communities was not ultimately due to the financial means to save the churches and halls they had built through generations of sacrifice. Rather, they endured through steadfast faith, perseverance, and trust in Divine Providence, believing that God would continue to guide them through one of the most challenging chapters in their history.
In his author’s presentation, Fr. Nelson explained that although these experiences were part of his priestly ministry, Rising Again is not a book about creditor protection, church closures, or the sale of parish assets. Instead, it is a deeply personal memoir that recounts his journey of faith, formation, and surrender to God’s will.
The memoir traces his early life in the Philippines, marked by family separation, brokenness, disappointments, and struggles that profoundly shaped his character and faith. Through difficult experiences and unanswered questions, he gradually came to recognize God’s presence at work in his life. What often seemed like obstacles became opportunities for growth, healing, and discernment.
The book recounts his years of formation with the Vincentians, the challenges and blessings of seminary life, and the many twists and turns that ultimately led him to become a diocesan priest. It reveals how moments of rejection became moments of redirection, how periods of uncertainty led to deeper trust, and how family brokenness became the very place where God’s grace was most powerfully revealed.
Fr. Nelson also reflected on the providential path that led him from the Philippines to Canada. Through a series of unexpected events and opportunities, God opened doors that ultimately brought him to Newfoundland, where he would continue his formation and priestly ministry. The memoir highlights how Divine Providence remained active throughout his vocation, guiding him through moments of joy, challenges, success, disappointment, and renewal.
He shared that he began writing the manuscript in May 2024 and completed it during his medical leave after his motor vehicle accident. What initially seemed a painful interruption in ministry became a grace-filled opportunity to reflect on God’s faithfulness throughout his life. Through the process of writing, he came to recognize more deeply the countless ways God had accompanied him through every chapter of his journey.
Fr. Nelson expressed his hope that readers would find encouragement in the pages of Rising Again. More than a personal story, the memoir is proof that God continues to work through life’s challenges and setbacks. It offers hope to those who are struggling, reassurance to those who feel discouraged, and inspiration to those seeking to discover God’s purpose in their lives.
After the author’s presentation, guests enjoyed a reception generously prepared by the Stella Maris Hall Corporation. Former parishioners, friends, and supporters came forward to have their books signed and to reconnect with their former pastor. Many shared stories, memories, and expressions of gratitude for the years they had journeyed together as a faith community. For many, it was a joyful reunion after four years apart.
At its heart, Rising Again is a story of hope. It is a testimony to the healing power of God’s grace, the strength that emerges from adversity, and the faith that sustains believers through life’s most difficult moments. It speaks of broken relationships being healed, rejection transformed into redirection, uncertainty into courage, and suffering into deeper trust in God.
Parishioners came forward to have their books signed.
The launch of Rising Again was more than the unveiling of a memoir. It was a celebration of divine providence, grace, faith, resilience, friendship, priestly ministry, and the enduring presence of God. As the gathering drew to a close, one message remained clear: no matter how difficult the journey may become, God continues to lead His people with love, faithfulness, and hope toward new beginnings.