Terrorized: A Memoir of Trauma, Healing, and Coming Home

Fred Thelen, a Catholic priest, embarks on a mission to Peru, only to confront a growing terrorist movement that will shatter him.

In his gripping memoir, Terrorized, Thelen recounts his immersion in the Maryknoll

mission among the people of the ancient Aymara culture on the shimmering shores of Lake Titicaca. He finds purpose in his cross-cultural work and advocacy for human rights. With humor and raw honesty, he shares his personal struggles and spiritual awakenings. But as the terrorist and government violence of the Sendero years become life-threatening, and a betrayal batters his spirit, he needs to get out.

The return to his home state of Michigan begins the long path to healing from post-traumatic stress. He uncovers painful emotions from childhood and layers of trauma that he had never acknowledged. Nurturing and loving relationships with friends, family, and a soulmate become his key to recovery and reentry into the world he had left behind.