A Rome for Restless Hearts: Finding a Spiritual Home in Catholicism

Suzanne Beck reviews a new book by TikTok sensation Sister Lisa Hezmalhalch. 

A Rome for Restless Hearts: Finding a Spiritual Home in Catholicism 

By Sister Lisa Hezmalhalch 

Published by Image Books

There are so many things I love about this book, it’s going to be hard to write a review and keep it within my word count! Let’s just say right off the bat: This is a must-read for everyone.  

Sister Lisa is an adorable “TikTok nun”! She downloaded TikTok at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic to avoid isolation and quickly became a sensation as she described the life of a nun — from what she cooks to movies she watches to questions about religious life. Now, with well over 140,000 followers, she is a bit of a celebrity! To find out more about Sister Lisa, listen to a recent episode of the Catholic Momcast.  

But it was in early 2015 that she decided to begin journaling about her journey of faith. Her first journal entry read:   

I never thought I would start a journal like this, but then again, I never thought I would start a journey like this. I picked this journal because I liked the travel vibe it had plus the quote on the label: ‘The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes.’ (Marcel Proust)   

She explains that she realizes that Catholicism is OLD, so she’s not visiting new places but looking at the old landscape (the Catholic Church) with new eyes. Her journal ultimately became the basis of A Rome for Restless Hearts.   

The first thing I love here is simply the title: a brilliant play on words, in my opinion. Sister Lisa grew up a devout Protestant who loved Jesus more than anything and really wanted to serve Him. Catholicism wasn’t ever on her radar and, like many of us converts, she was taught that Catholics weren’t even Christians.   

As her life unfolded, she encountered Catholicism and decided to investigate its claims for herself. Since she writes under the name of Sister Lisa, I don’t have to tell you how that came out! Much to her amazement (and a bit of chagrin), her restless heart found home ... in Rome. Think about that: She started as a Protestant, and ended up a nun!  

The introductory chapter gives a bit of Sister Lisa’s background story, and the remainder of the chapters are in-depth answers to questions that she encountered during her journey. In each chapter she details in a folksy, easy-to-read style, how the question came up for her and then thoroughly explains why the question matters, how she researched it, and what she learned about the Church along the way.

By the end of each chapter, you’ll understand a lot more about Church teaching than you ever thought you would, as Sister Lisa ultimately provides clear answers to each question that are spot-on with Church teaching. Along the way, each chapter is filled with heart-warming stories as she investigates, prays, listens, and learns about this landscape that she is seeing with new eyes.   

A Delightful Adventure of Faith

Traveling with Sister Lisa along the road is a delightful adventure. Her stories are mesmerizing and amusingly told. I especially enjoyed how she came to know and trust Mary. 

She needed a new place to live and a duplex unit was coming available. She showed up at the open house at the same time as another gal, who was also interested in the property.  They chatted easily as they were filling out the application, even though they both knew they were rivals for this space. As she left, she told Jesus how much she needed this place, how time was running out, how nice the other girl was, and how much she wanted that unit. But while praying, she got the distinct impression she should talk to Mary:  

This attempt was awkward: ‘Ummmm. Hi. Mary? I don’t know how to do this. Do I just talk to you like I talk to Jesus? Sheesh, this is uncomfortable. So I guess ... could you pray for me to get this apartment? But I feel bad since that gal wants it too. ... Mary, can you please pray not only for me to get that unit but that the other unit opens up and that girl can get it, so we can be neighbors? I finished praying, and as I drove away I figured nothing would happen. Even if she was up there listening, I was convinced there was no way she’d consent to pray for such a huge request.  

I’ll bet you can guess what happened the next day.  

Sister Lisa concludes by asking the reader to take a leap of faith, just as she has. She acknowledges that this whole book was God’s idea, so if you are reading it, He’s probably been trying to reach out to you. I know that I am much more likely to consider taking those leaps of faith after reading her wonderful story, and I encourage you to do the same! 

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Suzanne Beck
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