Contact & Media Kit
The Long Walk Home with the Ceinture Fléchée
The Arrow Sash
A sample of the first 31 pages of the book can be read at the book site on Amazon.
Sample Topic & Questions
- Genealogical adventure
- Faith, family and tradition
- Memoir
- Spiritual Journey
- Healing Wounds of a Lifetime and more
- Walking home to the Catholic Church
- Hiking the Long Trail in Vermont/A Spiritual Pilgrimage
- Talk to Paula about her journey with her ancestors.
- What inspired her to write this book.
- What she learned about the Ceinture Fléchée and her ancesteral heritage.
- What her ancestors taught her.
BOOK EXCERPT
After a life altering injury Paula discovers the road to healing, both physically and spiritually.
At this time, I asked a friend what she would do if she were me. She suggested a PT in Glastonbury, CT, who was trained in body work based on osteopathic manual therapy. This was that clinic’s specialty, and I had heard of this work. I had seen in-services on it and knew there were courses in it that, as a PT, I could take. I had not been interested in it enough to pursue it; now I had no choice but to give it a try. It was an hour-and-a-half drive for me, but I had to get there. At first, I went three times a week for this gentle work, hoping I could start to heal and get some of my life back. Gradually, my real pain started to seep through, the root of my back pain. You see, this gentle body work will help you heal the whole person, not just a body part. Who knew that the root of my pain had been walled off long ago to protect me. Just like the walls surrounding La Rochelle to protect the citizens, the walls I built were to save my soul, to save me. I started to have dreams of a man who frightened me. He threatened to harm my dogs in the dreams. I now had a memory of sexual abuse that happened when I was very young; it was this man from the dream who did it to me. I later learned that he was a friend of my great uncle and step-grandfather on my mother’s side. I dreamed of the house where it occurred repeatedly, over the years, when I was a child.
Before the body work, if you had asked me if I thought I’d ever been sexually abused as a child, I would have told you absolutely not. That was how well it was buried deep inside. The body work continued to gently reveal more of this deep wound. The memories came to me through dreams. I started, for the first time in a long time, to feel a sense of spirituality welling up inside me. That began my spiritual quest, though to what end, I had no idea. I knew I had to learn more about this spiritual side of me. As the memories surfaced in dreams, I realized God only gave me as much as I could handle at the time. Too much, too fast could have been detrimental. I was fragile, and I thanked God for Mike and the peace I could find in my home. I always said, during that time, that what didn’t kill me would make me stronger, and it did. Each time deeper memories surfaced, things I thought I couldn’t bear, I somehow did. God was with me, and I would be safe now. The walls that closed off the memories were crumbling down, and the story of my missing years was being told. Now I knew why, at eight years old, I’d become anxious and neurotic, why I was broken. Going to daily Mass, God had saved me then and He would again. I’d always wondered why I couldn’t be fully present, why I would drift away. Someone would be talking, and I’d be somewhere else, only partially hearing what they had said. It was a great survival technique at that time, when it was needed, but now it kept me from truly being with those I was with, never giving all of myself to the moment, just being a partial shell.
It was a great survival technique at that time, when it was needed, but now it kept me from truly being with those I was with, never giving all of myself to the moment, just being a partial shell.
My body work sessions were now once a month, and the slow progressive healing continued, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I started working with a mental health counselor, processing the memories and continuing my healing. We worked together for a year. After that, I’d call as needed for a few appointments. Little did I know how interwoven our lives would become. She is still an inspiration and mentor to me to this day, twenty-seven years later.
Dear Grandmother Jeanne,
I did not realize that, during this time of emotional and physical healing, you and my other De Grandpre ancestors were with me. At that turning point of my life, as the wall that encased my heart came tumbling down, you were praying for me, and calling me home to God. As the years went on, I could hear your calls growing louder and louder: “God is the way, please come back to him.” As He gave you the strength to endure your hardships, He has given me the same. I’m sailing home, weaving the threads of my sash back together again, bringing God and family back into my life.
Poem by Lee Hakeem
THE SASH THAT BINDS
Paula’s memories and her book—
I had to take a look.
As I read it, I internalized my feelings,
Food for thought, my family tree and unknown beings.
Your unanswered letters and familial quest
It appears that God was giving you a test.
I learned much of family and tradition,
Your travels and travails, What a mission!
The many people and places you wrote about
Spurned my constant interest, no doubt.
Thank you for sharing your book.
Glad I took more than a look.
from Father Jamie Callahan, St. Francis of Assisi Parish
In a recent Homily, Father Jamie addressed the children’s story “The Ugly Duckling,” where the swan discovers it’s true beauty and identity, upon discovering its authentic roots and family. In a wonderful way, Paula Grandpre Wood traces her family and ancestry back through many generations, discovering their story, their hardships, their travels, their memories and in so doing delves into the deepest recesses of her own story, which reveals her own identity and deep connection to the past.
Looking at this through the lens of faith, we can say that in the story of the Ugly Duckling, the swan discovers its true authentic connection to God’s creation, the part discovering the whole; the piece, discovering the puzzle. The swan discovering God’s unique creative mind in being part of the Swan family.
The Jewish people did this with genealogies; connecting each generation to past generations, as this connected them to God’s working in the past through their ancestors. As Christians, it is crucial for us to know their story because it eventually becomes ours, as we have been grafted onto their family tree through Christ. The more we learn this story, the more we will discover our true and authentic identity in Christ. Father Jamie Callahan
Sister Claudette's letter to Paula
I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book, but I especially held you close (and still do) as you shared and described your own journey back to God and to the Church and the difficult years of your life that had contributed to the days of darkness. I rejoice with you for all the people and events and graces that led you through those difficult years to God and to Mary. May our loving God continue to shower you with His generous blessings as He continues to lead you ever deeper into the wonder of His love for you.
Sr. Claudette Brunelle
Sisters of the Presentation of Mary
Manchester, NH
Review of book from Audrey Traverse
The author, Paula Grandpre Wood, Has not only taken the time to research her family history with great accuracy and passion but with such devotion, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Just love the inclusion of letters she writes to her ancestors as if they were alive today. This book is definitely from the heart and a great example of how we should all connect to our past to help understand ourselves.
Translated note from France Hervieux
The sash was authenticated in 2013 by France Hervieux, artisan and specialist of the Ceinture Fléchée.
Quoted from Mrs. Hervieux’s response back to Paula and translated to English by Karine Bougie webmaster at the time, “ I would like to say to this lady that she holds a beautiful and authentic Ceinture Fléchée, called the “L’Assomption” (named after the city of L’Assomption, in the province of Québec), where they were made for centuries. Her Assomption Sash dates from the 1850’s, after the standardization of the Assumption Sash patterns.” “Her ceinture has an interesting design: the middle section is made of eclairs (lightnings) with the traditional sequence of colors used for the Assomption Sash. The borders are made of “fléchés nettes” (also called flames). This is an original ceinture, because normally, they are either made of “eclairs” or “fléchée nettes”. “Sometimes the two patterns alternate, but in this case, they are clearly separated. This is an important Ceinture Fléchée for her family but also for the Canadian history. France Hervieux.”
a piece from Father Paul’s Homily
Included are excerpts from Fr. Paul’s Homily on Holy Family Sunday 2024:
Today is Holy Family Sunday – We remember the Jesse Family Tree – how Jesse of Bethlehem had a son David and so on up to Joseph and Mary as children of Jesse. (Holding up my book)
Here is my Family tree and three years ago, my cousin’s daughter Paula wrote a 316 page book that only told the tip of the iceberg of our family’s journey in faith. With each name, comes a lifetime of experiences about love in our family. The same is true of your Holy Family as well……
We all make decisions, especially when we are young. The decision to be single brings with it so many other quiet moments in life. The decision to be plural – to be married is filled with all sorts of consequences as well. Decisions – decisions – decisions
In this present generation which too often lays claim to being safe and sterile – so afraid to be married and so afraid to be a parent, we now celebrate the plural moment in Christmas, and pray that our own family will always be a sacred family – may our own family always be accepted as truly holy in their home and in our parish community.
In her book the Long Walk Home with the Ceinture Fléchée/the Arrow Sash, my cousin Paula invites us on the same journey to walk into the past and discover the faith of our fathers and mothers through the years.
A letter from Father Paul
Paula Grandpre Wood is my cousin’s daughter. She has written a book about her journey of conversion back to the Catholic Church – The Long Walk Home With The Ceinture Fléchée The Arrow Sash. I am a retired Catholic priest in the Diocese of Providence. Mrs. Grandpre Wood has worked with me in preparing her book, and it is very well done.
I did a great deal of work in RCIA. It is good to hear of the ways that God touches us in our journey of faith. I recommend that you have Paula Grandpre Wood on your program. Her story is fascinating and would help others to return to our Catholic Church. Thank you for considering her – she has a great deal to offer to others.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Paul Laporte
Pawtucket, RI
Book Review: Vermont Catholic News
Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Book review: ‘The Long Walk Home with the Ceinture Fléchée: The Arrow Sash’
Kay Winchester
August 10, 2024
“The Long Walk Home with the Ceinture Fléchée: The Arrow Sash.” By Paula Grandpre Wood.
Independently published, June 2023. 316 pages. Hardcover: $24.00; Paperback: $20.00, Kindle: $9.75.
Independent publishing has gained in popularity over the last couple of decades, and the upside is that some very good books, which may not fit the needs of big-name publishers, do end up seeing the light of day. Not all independently published works are good – many show a lack of adequate editing – but happily, “The Long Walk Home with the Ceinture Flechee” belongs to the first category.
This book, by Paula Grandpre Wood, will appeal to a number of audiences. First, there are the people who love genealogical research in general, who see such searches as a very rewarding type of scavenger hunt. These will appreciate Grandpre Wood’s search for her ancestors by way of the family’s Ceinture Flechee, or Arrow Sash, which runs like a theme through the whole book.
The second group are those whose heritage is French Canadian, particularly if their families were among the thousands of Acadians who were forcibly deported from their homes in Canada between the years 1755 and 1763. They will likely feel the same pain and outrage that Grandpre Wood experienced when she discovered just what this chapter in history meant for her family.
The third group will appreciate the lengthy reminiscences from the “aunts” in the middle of the book – first-hand accounts, from four viewpoints, of what life was like for the Quebecois in the early years of the twentieth century. Reading this section of the book reminded me of one of my favorites when I was a child – the “Little House on the Prairie” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is enlightening, here in the twenty-first century, to be reminded of a much different time – simpler, perhaps, but also much harder. It also brought to mind those things we take for granted now which were new (and sometimes frightening) then. The remembrances of the time the “aunts” saw the very first airplane fly over their farm are amusing to us; they had no idea quite what it was except that it made a great deal of noise and caused them to run as fast as they could for the house.
A very moving part of the book is Grandpre Wood’s account of her return to the Catholic Church after an absence of thirty-three years. Those who have a particular devotion to the Blessed Mother will appreciate (and likely resonate) with her relationship to Mary, and if the reader has ever made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje he or she will understand the profound influence this place had on her journey back to her faith.
Finally, if you have ever lived (or hiked) in Vermont, the final section about Grandpre Wood deciding to hike the Long Trail will sound quite familiar. Her interest in doing this trek began when she was nineteen, but at that time she couldn’t find anyone who wanted to hike it with her. Finally, at the age of sixty-three, her niece, Liv, said that it was a challenge that she wanted to undertake. “For some reason,” Grandpre Wood said, “this trail kept calling me, so when Liv mentioned it, I was in. If she was doing it, I would do it with her.” It was when she realized that the trail would be taking her to the Quebec border where her ancestors once lived that the hike took on a special significance. “I knew then,” she said, “that it wasn’t just a hike for me, but a pilgrimage…It would be me, separating myself from the world I was a part of and hoping for more quiet time with God.”
As it turned out, neither woman was able to complete the entire length of the Long Trail. Grandpre Wood was forced off near Rutland due to an injury to her knee. Though that part of her journey had ended, her pilgrimage has not and we are lucky she has chosen to share it with us.
Author bio:
Paula Grandpre Wood is an author, physical therapist, wife, and a person who heard the call of her ancestors.
Born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, one day her family’s “Ceinture Fléchée” (arrow sash) began speaking to her heart, making her who God planned for her to be.
Grandpre Wood returned to the Catholic Church in 2010, after being away for 33 years. She was professed into the third order of secular Franciscans on May 13, 2023.
Review of R’assemblement 2024 by Melody Desjardins
Saturday, April 6th: Presentations Galore!
Saturday was Le Rassemblement’s full day of engaging presentations and exciting announcements. I regret that I can’t recall the details of every presentation, but I enjoyed listening to other people’s perspectives, written works, and research. However, I will briefly cover a few of them.
I was instantly drawn into “Coming Home,” a presentation by author Paula Grandpre Wood about the ceinture fléchée passed down in her family for over 100 years. She detailed her research and Franco-American story in her book, The Long Walk Home with the Ceinture Fléchée: The Arrow Sash.
As many of you may already know, I’m fascinated by the history of textiles. So, I was immersed in Paula’s presentation about her ancestors and the significance of the ceinture fléchée not only to her family history but also as a symbol of Franco-American culture.
Phote: Paula Grandpre Wood presenting.
For the full review on R’assemblement by Melody Desjardins, click here: