Author Jim Towey's Book Updates – Aging with Dignity

Founder Jim Towey’s book about Mother Teresa, To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa, was published by Simon & Schuster on Sept. 6, just one day after the 25th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death in 1997. All royalties from the book will be donated to charitable causes aligned with her life’s work.

Order Now

“Jim Towey’s To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa is the loveliest book I’ve read in recent months, rich in reflection on contemporary sanctity and including one of the Five Funniest Catholic Stories Ever.” 
— George Weigel, First Things

“Towey recounts the hours Mother Teresa spent daily in deep prayer as well as the cheerfulness and compassion with which she served people in crushing poverty...his retelling of his beloved friend’s persistent dark night of the soul makes the reader want to comfort her...Readers familiar with Mother Teresa’s biography will find fresh meaning in Towey’s account of her impact on his spiritual journey. Those unfamiliar with her life story will appreciate his accessible and gripping introduction.”
— America Jesuit Review, America Magazine

“To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa is a powerful "white pill," masterfully weaving together vignettes from Towey’s own life with the arc of the Albanian nun pursuing the will of God.”
— Nora Kenny, The Washington Free Beacon 

“Towey portrays Mother Teresa in trademark sandals and sari, and also as a human who experienced loneliness, wrestled with doubts, and loved sweets…This personal portrait is by turns autobiographical, biographical, and devotional. Especially moving are the stories of Mother Teresa’s vivid calling through a vision, her dark night of the soul, and her final decline.”
— Booklist

“Though Towey’s personal, transformative relationship with Mother Teresa forms the central theme, he also offers a fascinating inside look into Mother Teresa’s daily life…Inspiring and joyful.”
— Kirkus Review

MEDIA REQUESTS

For all requests send to Ed Towey, VP of Advocacy

Ext 107

EVENT REQUESTS

Schedule an event with Jim Towey

Complete Form

About the Author

Jim Towey was a trusted advisor and personal friend of Mother Teresa of Calcutta for twelve years and did the first reading at her Mass of Canonization in Saint Peter’s Square in 2016. He previously headed the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under George W. Bush for four years and served on his senior staff. His career includes the presidency of two Catholic colleges for thirteen years, a seven-year stint as a US Senate staffer, and the leadership of Florida’s 40,000-employee health and human services agency.

In 1996, with Mother Teresa’s encouragement, he founded the nonprofit advocacy organization Aging with Dignity, where he currently serves as its CEO. Two years later, he created the Five Wishes advance directive, which has sold over 40 million copies and is available in 30 languages. Catholic University of America, Franciscan University, and five other institutions of higher learning have conferred honorary degrees upon Towey, and Pope John Paul II awarded him a papal medal for distinguished service.

Towey and Mary Griffith met while both volunteering in Mother Teresa’s Washington, DC, AIDS home and were married in 1992. They have five children and three grandchildren. He authored, To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa, published by Simon and Schuster and available in numerous languages. He and his wife are donating all royalties from the book to charities associated with the saint.

Upcoming Events for Jim Towey

Month	Event Name	Location
September	Panel on Mother Teresa Symposium	Washington, D.C.
	Conversation with Fr. Scalia	Falls Church, VA
	St. Hubert Parish Event	Chanhassen, MN
October	Bush Center Old Parkland Event	Dallas, TX
	Politics and Prose Event	Washington, D.C.
	American Enterprise Institute Event	Washington, D.C.
	Hearth and Soul Event	Tallahassee, FL
	Cardinal Dolan’s Radio Show	New York, NY
	Florida Conference of Catholic Women Statewide Convention Keynote	Sarasota, FL
	University of Notre Dame Campus Ministry Event	Notre Dame, IN
November	Catholic Information Center Event	Washington, D.C.
	EWTN: At Home with Jim and Joy Pinto Discussion	Washington, D.C.
December	Papal Foundation	Washington, D.C.
	Knights of Malta Event	Syracuse, NY
February	Ave Maria University Student Center Event	Ave Maria, FL
	Guest Speaker for Madeline McElveen Distinguished Preacher Series	Palm Beach, FL
	Books & Books Event	Coral Gables, FL
	Savannah Book Festival	Savannah, GA
March	St. Mary’s High School Event	Annapolis, MD
	St. Timothy Catholic Church Event	Chantilly, VA
	Mother Teresa Catholic Church Event	Cary, NC
	St. Mary Catholic Parish Event	Littleton, CO
	St. John Paul II Seminary Lecture	Denver, CO
April	Honoring “To Love and Be Loved”	Washington, D.C.
May	Mother of Light Center Event	Alexandria, VA
	Bishop Kenny High School	Jacksonville, FL
	Florida Conference of Catholic Women	West Palm, FL
	Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Event	Perry, FL
June	Case Western Reserve University, School of Nursing	Cleveland, OH
July	Talks at Quarr Abbey	England