Go Tell the World: Blessed, Broken, and Poured Out

Amelia Bentrup reviews Ellen Mongan’s newest devotional for Catholic moms.

Go Tell the World: Blessed, Broken, and Poured Out

By Ellen Mongan

Published by Xulon Press

Go Tell the World: Blessed, Broken. and Poured Out, by Ellen Mongan is a new devotional written for Catholic moms to inspire and encourage them in their daily journey to serve God and care for their families. Ellen Mongan has been married for more than 50 years and has seven adult children and numerous grandchildren.  

It is clear from her writing that Ellen loves God and her family, has very high standards, and strives very hard to follow God’s will, love her family, and minister to moms. While the author is clearly of a different generation than the intended audience of this book (moms who are currently, actively raising children), her life experience and wisdom gracefully flow throughout this book and the lessons it contains are timeless.   

About the Book  

This book is set up so each lesson or chapter is one to two pages long and there is space at the end of the book to write your own thoughts, prayers, reflections and feelings. This is not a daily devotional as there are not 365 different reflections, but rather a book that a mom could pick up two or three times a week, whenever she needs some encouragement or a way to focus her prayer life.  

One issue I had with the book is that with the copy I received: The book itself is rather large. It is about the size of a smaller textbook, which means it is too large to fit into a purse or small backpack or diaper bag. Personally, I would have preferred a smaller-sized book that I could fit into my backpack purse and easily pull out during Adoration, before Mass, or while waiting at doctor’s offices or in the car pick-up line.   

Who Should Read This Book  

The devotionals cover a wide range of topics that affect moms, including marriage, child loss, pregnancy, health, fitness, birth, burn-out, friendship, suffering and other issues facing moms today. Not everyone will relate to every single topic, but most moms will resonate with some topics or devotionals and find some inspiration and encouragement among its pages. While there were parts of the book that were written in a tone I did not personally resonate with, I did enjoy flipping through the book and reading and pondering certain devotions and praying through them.    

The book deals with some difficult topics such as eating disorders, child loss, miscarriage, and rape, so readers should be aware of that. Some readers may find these stories to be difficult to read. However, the book also has plenty of lessons and stories that are lighter and provide inspiration, encouragement and advice without touching on weightier topics. The book is a good mix of the author’s personal experiences, general advice, encouragement, inspiration, and religious reflections.  

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found there to be some good inspiration and encouragement contained within it. I felt the author was encouraging me to be a better person and mother and more closely seek God’s will for my life. I would recommend this book to moms looking for more of an inspiration and encouragement-based style devotional that includes life lessons and common-sense advice.  

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 2026 Amelia Bentrup
Images: Canva