Their Faith Has Touched Us: The Legacies of Three Young Oklahoma City Bombing Victims

I bought this book because I have a huge interest in Tim McVeigh and the OK Bombing.Also because one of the 3 people written about in the book is Julie Marie Welch, a 23 year old Social Security interpreter who planned to be a Spanish teacher. Julie is definitely one of the best known bombing victims and I always found her to be pretty interesting. The 3 people profiled in this book wrere chosen for the book because their strong Catholic faith and how they applied and lived that faith in everyday life.The other 2 victims written about are 28 year old Mark Bolte, a environmental engineer for the Highway Administration from Arkansas and 33 year old Valerie Koelsch , a native Oklahoman who worked at the credit union.Each chapter is named after a line from the prayer of St. Francis , which is a really nice idea and works well with the theme and structure of the book. Each chapter has a section on each of the three and the sections are composed with writings filled with memories and experiences about each person from family, friends, co workers, teachers, fellow parishioners and pastors. All 3 have 3 or 4 pages of pictures of them in the book,donated by friends and family. I enjoyed reading about the faith and life of each person. Mark Bolte and Valerie Koelsch didn't receive as much publicity as Julie Welch , I think because Julie has a wonderful father who has been very active since the bombing in speaking to the press both about his daughter and his strong opposition to the death penalty.So this book gave them a lucid voice. Finally, the thing that I loved most about the book is that this book showed no seething hatred for Tim McVeigh, nor gleeful anticipation and enjoyment of his death. That was incredibly refreshing because most of the time when reading anything written by an victim's family thats what you got/get. In fact the book spoke a few times about a family members efforts or desire to eventually forgive Tim and I thought that was awesome.

Reading about three young people who were killed in a terrorist act doesn't sound very inspiring. But Their Faith Has Touched Us isn't about terror or tragedy. Instead, it's about how each one of us makes an incredible difference, no matter how old we are, what we do for a living, or even how long we live. Without getting bogged down in sentimentality or saccharine, Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda paints a vibrant story of love and passion for life with the lives of these three young people.

As I sit here to write a short review of this book, I realize that I will be sifting through these stories and recollections for some time. Initially you may want to read this book to gain an insight into the Oklahoma City bombing and the extent of its tragedy: these are only three of the 168 lives lost that day, a multiplication of loss that leaves one reeling. But Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda's book is not only about loss--it is not even mainly about loss. Instead, it is a telling of the gifts these three young people were to those around them. This gathering of recollections is, in turn, a gift to all of us beyond the circle of Valerie's, Mark's, and Julie's immediate influence.Through this book, Valerie's, Mark's, and Julie's lives speak a profound truth to us: it is not always our calling to do great things, but we are all called to do little things with great love. In this book, friends and family treasure the "little" things these three did in their daily lives. Their stories come together in a beautiful mosaic of caring and compassion.Inevitably, readers will find themselves wondering: what impact do we have in the lives of others? In the rush of our daily lives, how might we do little things with great love? If we were to die today, what would the people in our lives cherish about us?Our reflections and answers to these questions are the gifts that Valerie, Mark, and Julie still offer us. I thank Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda for being a channel for those gifts.

It is so easy to avoid real life today, losing ourselves in the latest fiction or subject of interest, but when we do choose to encounter it, the rewards are usually great. So it is with Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda's gift to us all, "Their Faith Has Touched Us." For those who are willing to make the journey, Maria brings to life the beauty of three young Oklahomans who were killed in the tragic bombing of the Murray Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Through the eyes of those who knew and loved them we too learn to know them and to sense the deep loss. It is a sad and hopeful book at the same time, inspiring true respect for the people, faith, and values that helped form three such memorable, and missed, individuals. Some books we read for distraction, some we read for information, and some we read because they enrich us at our very core. Maria's book we read to be enriched.

"Their Faith Has Touched Us" teaches us about abundant life revealed in the face of horrible tragedies which occurred in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Of the 168 people killed in the blast (171 counting the unborn), the remarkable lives of three young, Catholic, adults are memorialized and celebrated. Author, Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda, covered the bombing as a reporter for the Catholic News Service. In her introduction, she describes in vivid detail, the terror-filled moments after the attack and our nation's reaction to the devastation. The true message of this book, however, lies in its author's extensive collection of tributes to the lives of these three young adults, Mark Allen Bolte, Valerie Jo Koelsch and Julie Marie Welch. In this collection of poems, letters, thoughts, and narratives, provided by their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, co-workers, teachers and friends, we encounter the extraordinary persons in Mark, Valerie and Julie, who, through living an "ordinary" way of life, fulfilled the commitment of their Catholic faith.Author, Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda collects heartwarming depictions of these separate lives from their respective families, friends, and co-workers and profoundly entwines the stories in the context of the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, "Prayer for Peace." The result graces the reader with the distinct message that Mark, Valerie and Julie, through their zest for life, laughter and pursuit of God, not only found happiness in their young lives, but provided everyone they touched with a special gift of wonderful, happy memories. One is also reminded here that when facing the daily struggles of life, God, through His Son, is present during every precious moment, granting His faithful ones peace, love, joy, hope, and strength for healing, until the day they are called to see the face of Christ.I first read "Their Faith Has Touched Us" in early 1998, shortly after it was published. As a native of Oklahoma City, and a Catholic, I was deeply moved by the stories of Mark, Valerie and Julie. While I will never fully comprehend the level of personal loss that their families and friends experienced, I shared in the pain of that horrible day and the many days, weeks, and months that followed. In re-reading "Their Faith Has Touched Us" in the year 2000, I recognize that as time goes on, the loss of these precious lives will never fully be recovered. However, their inspiration has made a substantial impact on my commitment to my daily walk with God. Valerie Koelsch would have been 38 years old this year, the same age as I. I hope to carry on the legacies of Mark Allen Bolte, Valerie Jo Koelsch, and Julie Marie Welch, who will remain forever young. Their faith, indeed, has touched me.-Anna Jordan, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma