Susan Mattern is a Southern California-based speaker and the author of Poverty, Chastity & Disobedience: My six years in a Catholic convent and Out of the Lion’s Den, her memoir about a mountain lion attack on her 5-year-old daughter, Laura Small, in an Orange County park in 1986.
POVERTY, CHASTITY & DISOBEDIENCE
My six years in a Catholic convent
Susan Mattern had no problem with most of the vows when she entered the convent. Poverty was easy. She didn’t have any possessions, joining the convent directly from high school. Chastity was no big deal since she hadn’t ever met a boy she liked. But obedience? That was a problem, especially when the rules made no sense. READ MORE >>
OUT OF THE LION’S DEN
A little girl’s mountain lion attack, a mother’s search for answers.
“Out of the Lion’s Den” is the true story of five-year-old Laura Small’s attack in an Orange County, California park.
But it’s not only the story of Laura’s long recovery from brain injuries.
Her parents soon realized that the attack wasn’t just the result of a lone mountain lion. Early morning anonymous phone calls, erasures on police reports, and a California moratorium on killing lions, led a persistent investigator and a brilliant lawyer all the way to a trial against Orange County for negligence. READ MORE >>
“Poverty, Chastity, and Disobedience by Sue Mattern is insightful, delightful and revelatory. Each chapter is a story of Mattern’s experiences in religious life in the late 1960’s, a time of incredible change in the Roman Catholic Church.”
“The depicted daily life of a religious postulant is sometimes shocking, and you find yourself rooting for the author and her partner-in-crime Pam to find a way to break out of their monotony and exert some individuality.”
SUSAN’S BLOG
Choices
I heard unexpectedly from Dr. Michael Shannon a few days ago, my daughter’s pediatrician when she was young. His text reminded me of her mountain lion attack in 1986 and of all the people who helped save her life, but it also brought to mind his role that day. He...
Wrens
Maybe it’s the pandemic, or maybe just the lack of human interaction, but my greatest source of inspiration this past year has been a wren. Let me explain. The wrens are building a nest in our birdhouse. They’re slow, loud, and persistent. It’s probably...
Words, words, words
Words can make a difference in our lives. They can hurt. They can make the day special, one we will always remember. A word can change the course our lives. They can change our political and religious views. They can ruin our lives. I remember a day at the playground...
The Red Dot
I belong to Toastmasters, a great organization, and I remember an international speech a few years ago where the speaker stood on stage holding a white piece of paper. In the middle of the paper was a red mark. The first thing you saw was the red. It stood out. You...
Death – and Life.
I read a letter from a mom in a column in the newspaper the other day. Her five-year-old daughter was very worried about death and was staying awake nights worrying about it. Her mom didn’t know what to tell the girl. As an atheist, I probably worry about death more...
A Brief History of My Pianos
I’m a classical pianist. But I’ve always been envious of other musicians. Almost every member of the orchestra gets to carry his own special instrument and perform on it. Flutes, clarinets, guitars, cellos, violas, piccolos, French horns. People in bands get to march...