Mary Ann Budnik is the Illinois author of seven books: Raise Happy Children Through A Happier Marriage, Raise Happy Children…Raise Them Saints, Raise Happy Children…Teach Them Virtues Raise Happy Children …Teach Them Joy, You Can Become A Saint!, You Can Become A Saint! Workbook, Looking for Peace? Try Confession! Six of her seven books will be printed in Nigeria, Africa by Criterion Press in 2006. You Can Become A Saint! and Looking for Peace? Try Confession! will be printed in Spanish in 2006.

In addition to her books, Budnik authored three booklets: “Why Suffer?” (Scepter Press), “A New Look At The Works Of Mercy” (Liguori Press), and “Examinations of Conscience For Specific Ages & Temperaments” (R.B. Media, Inc.). “Why Suffer?” and “Examinations of Conscience For Specific Ages & Temperaments” are also in Spanish.

Besides her own books, Budnik contributed chapters for books published by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. These books include St. Thérèse —Doctor of the Little Way, Padre Pio—The Wonder Worker, The Marian Shrines of France, The Marian Shrines of Italy, and The Marian Shrines of Portugal and Spain.

As a free-lance writer, Mary Ann has written for over 55 publications here and abroad. In 1996 she was a weekly columnist for Our Sunday Visitor. She appeared on EWTN as a guest on A Closer Walk with Fr. Harold Cohn, S.J., EWTN Bookmark (1998, 2003, 2005, 2006) with Doug Keck, and The Abundant Life with Johnette Benkovic (twice in 1998 and in 2005), as well as on a series of 12 TV shows based on Raise Happy Children…Teach Them Virtues for the Familyland Network in 2003-2004. Another series of TV shows will premiere in 2006. She has also been a guest on the radio program Catholic Answers as well as other Catholic radio programs. Marquette University named her a “Distinguished Scholar” in 1991.

In 1994, the American Life League awarded “Journalist of the Year” to Mary Ann Budnik for her journalistic efforts in covering the UN Population Conference in Cairo, Egypt as a member of the international press corp. From Cairo, she faxed daily news reports to 32 media outlets and organizations. While in Cairo she was interviewed live by a Salt Lake, Utah radio station. On her return, Budnik was a featured speaker at the Wanderer Forum in 1994.

In March, 1995, she was a foreign correspondent at the UN Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark. Mary Ann was the featured speaker at the 1995 Chicago Cardinal Mindszenty Conference speaking on the UN Social Summit and the upcoming UN Beijing Conference.

In addition to her writing, she is the CEO of a media company that provides material on spiritual formation and family issues on audiotapes, CDs and MP3s as well as a small publishing house.

Mary Ann is a graduate of Marquette University where she double majored in journalism and political science. A native of Illinois, Budnik is the mother of three daughters and grandmother of ten. Her husband, Robert, is an assistant administrator for St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL.