Anne-Marie Klobe and a friend were hosting a Lenten retreat two years ago in Klobe’s home during Holy Week. Everyone was invited to choose from a list of characters in the Lord’s Passion and write about them. For Klobe, 44, a longtime parishioner of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, the exercise sparked the inspiration to write a children’s book.

For the retreat, she focused on Peter the Apostle, but began to wonder why she had never seen someone write about Simon of Cyrene, the man who helped Jesus carry his cross to Golgotha.

She thought about the life of Simon, sought and received an imprimatur from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis finding that her work was free of error regarding faith and morals, and self-published her children’s book in 2021, “I Am Simon: The Untold Story of Simon of Cyrene.”

The Bible doesn’t give many details of Simon’s life beyond the fact that he helped Jesus as he carried his cross to Calvary. But Klobe incorporated some of her own ideas into the story. She pulled from Mark 15:21, which says that Simon was father to Alexander and Rufus. Scripture makes no mention of Simon’s wife. While praying one day in adoration of the Eucharist, Klobe felt prompted to have Simon’s wife be part of her story and to portray Simon as a widower.

“I named her Miriam, and I wanted her to appear to Simon through a memory,” Klobe said. “I wanted him to recall his wife telling him about the time she heard Jesus telling the story of the Good Samaritan. We are all called to recognize Jesus in each person that we meet. Simon didn’t recognize Jesus, but his memory of his wife talking about the Good Samaritan is what inspired him to act in a certain way.”

Klobe wrote her story during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During this time, many people became more critical and didn’t trust people,” she said. “It was harder to see God in everyone because there was that fear of ‘what if they have COVID?’”

As COVID restrictions were placed on hospital visitors, Klobe’s father was isolated in the hospital for two weeks. He later died at home. Writing to help bring people together, to help readers see Jesus in each person they meet, Klobe dedicated “I Am Simon” to her father and to all those who died in 2020 and 2021. Her favorite line in “I Am Simon” takes place while Simon is contemplating his walk with Jesus, even as he helps Christ carry the cross.

“I began to think of my own troubles in life,” Simon states in the book. “My eyes filled with tears as I thought of the future of Jerusalem (here Klobe draws a parallel with her fears for the future of America during COVID). I worried about my friends who were sick, those who were lonely … And as the cross almost fell upon my back, I began to be convinced that no matter the reputation, accusation, or circumstance of a person, nobody should ever have to carry his cross alone.”

FIND THE BOOK

• Anne-Marie Klobe’s book can be found on Amazon and at her website, anne-marieklobe.com.
• Klobe will hold book signings April 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Seedlings Gifts and Books, 521 W. 78th St., Chanhassen; and 2-5 p.m. at Leaflet Missal, 976 W. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul.

The message rang loud and clear for Jeff Berg, 80, a financial consultant and member of All Saints in Minneapolis. He has given “I Am Simon” to each one of his four children, to read to their children. Berg has 17 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and two more on the way. Berg said he was amazed that Klobe was able to write a book that is equally fitting for adults and children. One of his favorite aspects of the book is its relatability.

“We are all Simons,” Berg said. “Simon was a man who didn’t want to do what he was asked to do but felt compelled to do it at the Lord’s urging. As a result, his name has been on the lips of Catholics for 2,000 plus years. Just for his little deed. We too, do little deeds, and though we may not be recognized publicly, we are recognized by Christ. We all have to help the Lord out in some way.”

Anne Dobie, 40, a fellow parishioner of Klobe and mother of four children ages 4 to 9, said she appreciates how the book “lifts the Passion in new and profound ways for children and adults. ‘I Am Simon’ is fitting for any child who attends Stations of the Cross. This book very powerfully shows the importance of helping others and, as a mom, paints the pictures for my children of the effect that can be had when we choose to help, instead of walking away or ignoring others.”

Not only does Klobe paint beautiful word pictures, but the watercolors in her book are striking. She features Argentinian illustrator Mauro Lirussi in “I Am Simon.”

Writing is one of Klobe’s missions. She also is a kitchen designer; a wholeness mentor to single, Catholic women over 35; a jewelry designer; and a traveler who has been to all Seven Wonders of the World. Each of these roles, Klobe said, is fueled by a passion for finding the good, the true and the beautiful. Her life’s motto is a phrase attributed to St. Irenaeus: “The glory of God is man fully alive.”

“Everyone is called to discover their own passion and to evangelize the world through that. And in order to serve, we need to have a full cup,” Klobe said. “We have to rest. Make a list of things that you absolutely love doing and do one or two of those a day and that’s going to change your perspective on life. Even if it’s going to get a pedicure, lighting a candle, or getting up 15 minutes earlier to read your favorite book. Make space for yourself. Nobody can serve from an empty cup.”