Gibson County Native Publishes Book Of Advent Reflections

Anna (Bittner) Schulten is a former intern for The Message – and now, she is a published book author!

Schulten has penned “Encounter: Advent Reflections for Catholics in Transition.” It is available in paperback from Amazon. This may sound contradictory, but transition has been a constant for Schulten in recent years. She moved from Southwest Indiana to Alaska after her marriage to Mark, who is on active duty with the U.S. Army, stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

“My life has been through a lot of transitions in the past few years: marriage, Indiana to Alaska, first military base, first job in direct ministry with teenagers,” Schulten said. “I wrote this book as a project for my husband, reflecting on all the transitions in our life together and all the ways God has been present in our life.

“He’s active duty, and there are times when he doesn’t have access to Sunday Mass or the sacraments while he’s in training,” she explained. “I wanted him to have a place to read and reflect on the readings, and also to share stories and memories with him: of my life, and of our life together so far. But the book goes beyond personal stories. Each story relates to everyday life: where is God present to us in the ordinary? He came to us on Christmas, and he’s coming back. So how can we use everyday experiences to prepare our hearts for him? The book also includes scriptural reflections, journaling prompts and space, ideas for service, prayers, and other bonus content.”

Schulten said she was surprised at how quickly “Encounter” came together, and that her first book is non-fiction.

“I’ve wanted to be an author or an artist for as long as I can remember,” she said. “I counted back through my childhood; I’ve written at least 12 different stories/novels over the past 26 years. I’ve written everything from post-apocalyptic dystopian to space adventures, mystery to Christian fiction. And wouldn’t you know it? I go and publish nonfiction first instead!”

Schulten works in youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Anchorage. “I work with Junior High and High School students,” she said. “We meet once a week or so, and we offer yearly retreats, trips, service opportunities, and family ministry nights.” As you’re reading these words, Schulten and some of her students are in Indianapolis for the 2017 National Catholic Youth Conference.

“I’m particularly excited about our trip to Indianapolis for NCYC,” she said. We’re bringing five students from my parish to Indy. I went to college at Marian University in Indianapolis, so I’m excited to share my home state with my students. It’s hard for Alaskans to really understand the extent of the global Catholic Church. I try to expose them to that every chance I get.”

Schulten said the Catholic culture in Alaska is different from her Indiana roots. “The Catholic culture is different here than it was in Evansville,” she offered. “There’s still a sense of tight-knit community; but because everything is so young, there’s not that same sense of (heritage). Lots of Alaskans are transplants; there are not nearly as many families that go back several generations. What we do have is diversity and independence. Alaskans are tough, and we stick together.”

Although “Encounter” has an Advent focus, Schulten emphasizes that its pages offer insights and information that are applicable every day … any day. “God is with us in everyday life. We just have to look for him. In the book, each reading and reflection offers a set of three questions at the end. They offer space to reflect on the story’s application: all this is nice, but where does it fit with you, personally? How are we each being called to continuous conversion?

“I hope that people use the book as a tool to dig deeper into scripture and reflect on their own life journeys and God’s presence in their everyday life,” Schulten added. “This book is a challenge to conversion. I hope it helps people change and grow and find God in the every day, as much as it’s helped me reflect on the change God has made in my life.”

Schulten offered gratitude to many people for their support. “I want to say thanks to the people who have been my roots: I‘ve received an incredible amount of support for this book from people back home,” she said. “I am so incredibly blessed to be supported by both my Alaska and Indiana communities. Although I am proud to be Alaskan, I will still also always consider the Diocese of Evansville my home.”