WILMINGTON — A walk with her granddaughter has resulted in the third book by St. Elizabeth Church parishioner Jo-Ann Baca, the first of which that dips into the realm of faith and spirituality.
Baca, a longtime educator in Delaware, has written and self-published “The Treasures of Turtle Bridge: Finding Riches and Inspiration in Unexpected Places.” In it, she uses experiences with turtles and people to come up with a spiritual memoir that touches on love, loss, forgiveness, wisdom “and the everyday miracles that reveal the presence of the divine,” according to a description on the St. Elizabeth Parish Facebook page.
“It’s a tale of joy and resilience that emerges with a 5-year-old girl, a grandmother, a turtle, a bridge and a journey no one expected,” the account reads.
Baca, who splits time between Wilmington and Sussex County, said the story began with that walk during the covid pandemic. Her granddaughter said she wanted to go to Turtle Bridge. Baca found Turtle Park in Rehoboth Beach, where they saw “zillions” of turtles.
“I could feel the spirit in the air,” Baca said recently. “Something just happened.”
A few weeks later, she was walking with a friend at Gordon’s Pond, part of Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, where they witnessed a turtle burying eggs on a walking trail.
“Those two experiences started the whole thing. The rest of the book is really a reflection on ‘why did this happen?’” she said.
Baca’s interest in spirituality is enhanced by her background in education. She was a teacher in the Colonial School District for 23 years, and she worked for the state Department of Education. In addition, she has been an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities in the region. She began to learn about the spirituality of the Nanticoke Indians, who once lived on the Delmarva Peninsula. The turtle holds significance for the Nanticoke, representing creation, patience and endurance.
Baca got to work writing and editing, a process that took about four years. “The Treasures of Turtle Bridge” quotes an array of people, from Bishop Koenig to Pope Francis to all four of Baca’s grandchildren. The book includes a lot of turtle metaphors, she said.
“There’s a lot of messages in there. The main one is to treasure the moment, to slow down. Slow down, maybe like a turtle,” she said.
“Part of the book is like, ‘Stop and look. God is right here waiting for you to notice.’ That’s the main theme of the book.”
Baca added that she was practicing the Jesuit spiritual exercises when she began writing “The Treasures of Turtle Bridge,” and that influenced her.
“I was very influenced by Jesuit spirituality, looking for God in all things. That’s fun for me to connect my hour of prayer that I was doing every day with what I saw in everyday life,” she said.
Baca previously authored two books on education. She had 25 copies of the first published and gave them away to her teacher friends. The second was an e-book for teachers. This one is available for purchase online, and Baca will be at St. Elizabeth Church the weekend of Oct. 30-31 with books available. She is a member of the St. Elizabeth School advisory board, and that is the benefactor of proceeds.
“After I published it, I got the feeling, ‘I’ve got to donate the proceeds to St. E’s.’ What else would I have written this book for?” she said.
Baca grew up in Broomall, Pa., where she was taught by the IHM Sisters. She moved to Delaware after eighth grade and attended Newark High School. But the charism of the sisters continued to influence her, even while teaching in public school. They taught her, “Don’t just do the ministry. You become the mission,” she said.
She wasn’t able to talk about her faith, but she hopes her students were able to see it in her actions.
“They say you catch the faith,” she said. “I hope my students caught the faith.”
Baca taught religious education at her previous parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bear, which is where she first met Father Roger DiBuo, who was pastor. After she and her husband, David, moved to their new home near St. Elizabeth in Wilmington, Father Roger was assigned there as the pastor.
She also organized the Stephen Ministry at Seton. That ministry provides counseling to people facing various crises. She continues that work at St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Lewes, which she and her husband sometimes attend, although their primary church in Sussex County is St. Edmond’s in Rehoboth Beach.
Baca said she has some ideas for her next book, but she’s going to take a break before tackling that.
