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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thedialog.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29162315\/Jo-Ann-Baca-scaled.jpeg\" "\\"Jo-Ann")
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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nWILMINGTON<\/strong> \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Baca, a longtime educator in Delaware, has written and self-published \u201cThe Treasures of Turtle Bridge: Finding Riches and Inspiration in Unexpected Places.\u201d<\/a> In it, she uses experiences with turtles and people to come up with a spiritual memoir that touches on love, loss, forgiveness, wisdom \u201cand the everyday miracles that reveal the presence of the divine,\u201d according to a description on the St. Elizabeth Parish<\/a> Facebook page.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 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,\u201d the account reads.<\/p>\n 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 \u201czillions\u201d of turtles.<\/p>\n \u201cI could feel the spirit in the air,\u201d Baca said recently. \u201cSomething just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n A few weeks later, she was walking with a friend at Gordon\u2019s Pond, part of Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, where they witnessed a turtle burying eggs on a walking trail.<\/p>\n \u201cThose two experiences started the whole thing. The rest of the book is really a reflection on \u2018why did this happen?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Baca\u2019s 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<\/a>, representing creation, patience and endurance.<\/p>\n Baca got to work writing and editing, a process that took about four years. \u201cThe Treasures of Turtle Bridge\u201d quotes an array of people, from Bishop Koenig to Pope Francis to all four of Baca\u2019s grandchildren. The book includes a lot of turtle metaphors, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of messages in there. The main one is to treasure the moment, to slow down. Slow down, maybe like a turtle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of the book is like, \u2018Stop and look. God is right here waiting for you to notice.\u2019 That\u2019s the main theme of the book.\u201d<\/p>\n Baca added that she was practicing the Jesuit spiritual exercises when she began writing \u201cThe Treasures of Turtle Bridge,\u201d and that influenced her.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very influenced by Jesuit spirituality, looking for God in all things. That\u2019s fun for me to connect my hour of prayer that I was doing every day with what I saw in everyday life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter I published it, I got the feeling, \u2018I\u2019ve got to donate the proceeds to St. E\u2019s.\u2019 What else would I have written this book for?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 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, \u201cDon\u2019t just do the ministry. You become the mission,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t able to talk about her faith, but she hopes her students were able to see it in her actions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey say you catch the faith,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope my students caught the faith.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s in Rehoboth Beach.<\/p>\n Baca said she has some ideas for her next book, but she\u2019s going to take a break before tackling that.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n