The story shaped Marie. It doesn't define her.
Marie Monville is an author, speaker, wife, mom, and woman of faith whose life has been shaped by profound loss, unexpected grace, and the redemptive work of God.
For nearly two decades, she has shared what she has learned along the way: healing takes time, hope and pain can coexist, and the chapters we wouldn’t have chosen don’t get the final say.
A Life Divided Into Before and After
In October 2006, Marie’s first husband was responsible for the shooting at an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.
In a single morning, Marie became a widow and mother raising three young children on her own, while also finding herself at the center of a story being told around the world.
In the days and months that followed, she had to navigate her own grief while figuring out how to lead her family toward healing.
There was also extraordinary grace.
Members of the Amish community reached toward Marie and her children with compassion. That grace did not erase what had happened, but it became part of what Marie would come to understand about forgiveness, faith, and the possibility of redemption.
Redemption Didn't Mean Pretending
It Never Happened
Healing came in layers. It required time to grieve what was lost, care for her family, and begin imagining that life could be more than the tragedy.
Along the way, she began to understand redemption differently. Redemption doesn’t mean pretending something painful was okay; it’s acknowledging that God can still bring something good from it.
And He did. Healing changed Marie, reshaping how she understood forgiveness, faith, love, and her own identity. Over time, she began to trust again, dream again, and imagine a future beyond what had happened. She remarried, their family grew, she wrote books, began speaking, and went back to college in her forties.
The hard parts remain, but they don’t define her story.
Who Marie Is Today
Today, Marie’s work lives at the intersection of story, faith, and the belief that hope can change what we believe is possible.
She speaks at conferences, churches, retreats, special events, and women’s gatherings, often partnering with mission-driven organizations. Sometimes she shares her own story. Sometimes she walks women through the pages of Scripture. Sometimes she helps an audience see the redemptive work happening through an organization and recognize their opportunity to participate in it.
The setting changes, but the heart of the message remains the same: God is still at work, even in stories none of us would have chosen.
A Message Lived Before It Was Shared
500+ speaking engagements • 50,000+ books sold • National media appearances
Marie’s work has taken her from intimate retreats and church gatherings to conferences, donor banquets, national media, and audiences across the United States and internationally. Her story and message have also been featured on Good Morning America, Katie, Piers Morgan Live, and The 700 Club.
The Story Behind One Light Still Shines
Created before the release of Marie’s first book, this short film shares more of the story that shaped her life, faith, and the message she continues to share today.
Beyond the Stage and the Pages
Marie is a wife, mom, Lolli, and adoptive parent. Her husband is Pop, making them Lollipop to their grandchildren. Family has forged much of what she believes about love, courage, grace, and showing up for one another.
She values meaningful conversation, a good cup of coffee, travel, time with family, gathering people around the table, and ordinary moments.
Genuine relationships and authenticity matter deeply to Marie. She loves encouraging those around her, celebrating their wins, and reminding them of what’s possible.
Continue the Story
Marie’s books offer another way to explore the themes that have shaped her life and work: faith, healing, relationships, hope, and redemption.
