Welcome. Your journey starts here.

Patricia Keane's road to redemption with the displaced people of Bosnia-Herzegovina is courageously told in her critically acclaimed book Journey Of Ten Thousand Smiles.

You can purchase the book Journey of Ten Thouisand Smiles

here

Available to buy Online here or from the following book shops

Dublin: Veritas, Abbey Street. | Galway: Galway Cathedral Book Shop | Co. Kildare: The Carmelite Shop, The Friary, Kildare Town. Malone's Newsagents, Main Street Kildare. Barker & Jones, Main Street, Naas. Veritas Book Shop, Sallins Road, Naas. Farrell & Nephew, Main Street, Newbridge. Parish Centre Shop, Newbridge Newbridge Silverware, Newbridge | Co. Laois: The Parish Centre, Portlaoise | Co. Carlow: Carlow Cathedral Parish Bookshop, Carlow Town |Co Donegal: Veritas 13 Lower Main Street Letterkenny. | Co. Waterford: The Book Centre, 25 John Robert Square, Waterford | Co. Offaly: The Parish Centre Tullamore | Co. Sligo: Easons Sligo Town | Co. Westmeath: The Cathedral Book Shop Mullingar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...

Patricia Keane

Patricia Keane

Author
Patricia Keane is the author of the critically acclaimed book Journey Of Ten Thousand Smiles and is an inspirational speaker and witness to her inner healing in Medjugorje. She co-hosts a weekly programme, Health and Faith Matters on Radio Maria and blogs at journeyoftenthousandsmiles.org. She has received two International Awards for her humanitarian work with the ethnically displaced families of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

WHAT THEY SAY ...

What readers are saying about Journey of Ten Thousand Smiles

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"This book is not just interesting; it is inspiritional." .

THE IRISH CATHOLIC BOOK REVIEW

A story uniquely told and masterfully written.

DENIS NULTY, BISHOP OF KILDARE AND LEIGHLIN

I filmed Rebuild for Bosnia's TV documentaries. I knew the story and yet I couldn't put the book down.

MARY FANNING, MULTI AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST

Last Friday, August 17th, I had the pleasure of travelling to Maghera in County Derry for the unveiling of the Papal Sanctuary Furniture and to the launch of my book, ‘An Iconic Faith’.

Specialist Joinery Group’s first commission for the World Meeting of Families celebration was to design and manufacture the triptych that the Icon, Amoris Laetitia, ‘Joy of Love’ would be written on. One year later the company was called on again, this time for a Papal Visit commission. John Bosco O’Hagan, Founder and Chairperson of Specialist Joinery Group, was asked to design and manufacture the altar, ambo, papal chair and papal chair shroud for the Pope’s Mass in Croke Park on Sunday 26th August.

You can download the booklet to read here.

On Friday 24th August, RTE Nationwide will screen Producer; Mary Fanning ’s final part of her Papal trilogy. The programme will feature the story of Amoris Laetitia, John Bosco O’ Hagan’s journey, Mihai Cucu and An Iconic Faith.

People who baught the book have their say

Here are a selection of reader's letters about the book.

 
 

In November 1996 I accompanied Fr Kevin Doheny, CSSp, on a journey from Medjugorje to Sarajevo. He had been a missionary in Biafra, where there were thousands of displaced people and refugees after the civil war.

This experience prompted him to establish Refugee Trust International in 1989 to assist them. When the Bosnian civil war (1992-1995) concluded with the Daytona Peace Agreement there were 2.2 million displaced people in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In answer to a general appeal for assistance Fr Doheny opened up centres of Refugee Trust in Mostar and Sarajevo.

While on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje Fr Doheny availed of the opportunity to observe the work of these centres. As we drove along the road between Mostar and Sarajevo the evidence of ethnic cleansing could be seen on both sides.

The Serb (formally the Yugoslav) army had crashed through the area and systematically destroyed all the buildings in their path to ensure that those who had fled before them would never return.

The roofless, windowless burnt-out houses were gaunt reminders of their ruthlessness. The appearance of Sarajevo was no less shocking. It looked like the cities in Germany at the end of World War II.

I was vividly reminded of that first-hand experience of ethnic cleansing by two recent events.

"She learned about the massacre at Srebreica when more than 8,000 men and boys were serially murdered"

There were the life-sentences for war crimes handed down by the United Nations International Court of Justice to the Serb general Ratko Mladic and to the Croat commander Slobodan Praljak (who took poison in the dock as the verdict was rendered, and so dying, avoided the sentence).

More significantly than these there is Patricia Keane’s account of Rebuild for Bosnia and Friends of Rebuild for Bosnia, and the remarkable humanitarian work for which they are responsible. This is a true labour of love, rather than an act of hate.

Patricia Keane was born in Suncroft, Co. Kildare, in 1961. She was educated locally and qualified as a clinical nutritionist. After a number of unhappy experiences at the suggestion of a friend she went on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1998.

While there she visited a Centre for Displaced People which was nearby. She was shocked at the conditions in which the inmates were attempting to survive.

On her return home, with others she established Rebuild for Bosnia, a charity, the objective of which was to build homes in Bosnia-Herzegovina for displaced families of Catholic Croats, Muslim Bosniaks, and Orthodox Serbs driven from their homes during the civil war.

Project

Subsequently she and her colleagues set up Friends of Rebuild for Bosnia to raise funds for the project. In a period of five years it raised €2.5 million. Ninety per cent of that money was spent on having 78 houses built with the remainder funding the repair of schools as well as supplying the sick with life-saving medicines and devices.

Patricia was determined that homes would be made available to the most vulnerable persons, such as widows and others who had the responsibility of caring for children with mental and physical disabilities.

To this end she met and heard the tragic life-stories of many of the Bosnian refugees.

She learned about the massacre at Srebrenica when more than 8,000 men and boys were serially murdered and buried in mass graves. And she became aware of other less well-known massacres carried out by the same Serb army at Tuzla and Vukovar.

She records some of her interviews verbatim – horrifying accounts of murders, rapes, torture, and deliberately degrading incarceration. Presumably to lighten her dark narrative of man’s inhumanity to man she includes an account of a seemingly miraculous case of healing, following prayer to Our Lady at Medjugorje.

Patricia concludes with a number of very useful reflections: on knowing your limitations, prayer, true forgiveness, and trusting in God. This book is not just interesting; it is inspirational, and it splendidly illustrates Patricia’s mantra that ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’.

"Patricia was determined that homes would be made available to the most vulnerable persons such as widows"

While there she visited a Centre for Displaced People which was nearby. She was shocked at the conditions in which the inmates were attempting to survive.

On her return home, with others she established Rebuild for Bosnia, a charity, the objective of which was to build homes in Bosnia-Herzegovina for displaced families of Catholic Croats, Muslim Bosniaks, and Orthodox Serbs driven from their homes during the civil war.

You can contact Patricia Keane at

Beechfield Office Suite
Athy Road
Monasterevin
Co. Kildare
IRELAND

Tel: +353 45 532410
Fax: +353 45 529 550
Email: info@journeyoftenthousandsmiles.org