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TERRORIZED

A MEMOIR OF TRAUMA, HEALING, AND COMING HOME

A memoir of a priest’s mission in the Peruvian Andes in a time of growing terrorism, leading to post-traumatic stress, and his journey home to healing.

Terrorized book cover with Peruvian mask

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fred with his cat at home in Cristo Rey

FRED THELEN

Fred Thelen served in Peru as an associate priest with the Maryknoll missionaries from 1988 to 1993. Throughout his ministry, he has advocated for social justice and human rights, including serving on the National Council of Pax Christi USA, and as a Global Fellow with Catholic Relief Services. He is the recipient of the Faith in Action award for community organizing from Action of Greater Lansing and the Purple Ribbon for Peace award from Pax Christi Michigan. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and an MA from the University of Detroit. Growing up on the family farm in small-town America imparted a reverence for Mother Earth that he continues to nurture at his home surrounded by Northern Michigan's woods and water.

Fred in 2024
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“Coming face to face with terrorism, poverty, and corrupt systems, while also forming indelible relationships, the author shares the scars left by his missionary journey . . . At once deeply personal, there is as well a universal invitation to the readers to ponder the deepest questions of meaning, identity, and mission for themselves.”

— Sister Barbara E. Reid, president, Catholic Theological Union

“When I first stepped into this beautifully written inspirational story, I was full of fear for the people of Peru and for our beloved Father Fred. By the grace of God, I prayed, I cried, and was rewarded with a powerful lesson in courage, faith, and love.” 

— Ana Garcia-Ashley, executive director of the Gamaliel Network

“...Anyone who seeks insight into working within another culture and the journey of healing from trauma will find a gem in this well-written and personally revealing book.” 

— Sister Patricia Ryan, president of the Civil Association Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente in Puno, Peru 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fred blessing the harvest

Fred Thelen, a Catholic priest, embarks on a mission to Peru, only to confront a growing terrorist movement that will shatter him. 

 

In his gripping memoir, Terrorized, Thelen recounts his immersion in the Maryknoll mission among the people of the ancient Aymara culture on the shimmering shores of Lake Titicaca. He finds purpose in his cross-cultural work and advocacy for human rights. With humor and raw honesty, he shares his personal struggles and spiritual awakenings. But as the terrorist and government violence of the Sendero years become life-threatening, and a betrayal batters his spirit, he needs to get out.

 

The return to his home state of Michigan begins the long path to healing from post-traumatic stress. He uncovers painful emotions from childhood and layers of trauma that he had never acknowledged. Nurturing and loving relationships with friends, family, and a soulmate become his key to recovery and reentry into the world he had left behind.

AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

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Meet Father Fred Thelen

Join Father Fred Thelen as he discusses his memoir and reads from the book.

EVERYbody Reads

1:30p - 3:30p

2019 E. Michigan Ave.

Lansing

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