Fall is “football season” and it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that it has also been the busiest time of year for The Nine Devines. Authors Deacon Devine and Darius Husain crisscrossed the Twin Cities and the Chippewa Valley presenting on the themes of their memoir to captivated audiences.
The tour fittingly began at the Heyde Center for the Performing Arts – once the home of McDonnel High School where the Devine siblings pursued their diploma, learned life lessons, and began to chase their dreams– for an event entitled “The Nine Devines & Packers Pride.” A unique double feature, the first half belonged to The Nine Devines as Darius and Lefty explored the richness and impact of sports and how it brings communities together. The authors also examined Dan Devine’s Packer tenure through a new and fascinating lens. For the second half, the Packers were displayed on the Heyde’s big screen and proceeded to thoroughly dominated division rival Detroit Lions in Green Bay’s home opener. We don’t want to take too much credit for the win, but we can say that the vibes were strong leading up to kickoff.
The Nine Devines had a bit of a home opener of their own as Deacon Devine returned to his background for not one, but two events at Nativity Parish. Nothing quite says St. Paul like the Nativity County Fair, and fairgoers lined up to discuss the book and say hello to their beloved Deacon. A few weeks later, the authors were the guest speakers at the Nativity Council of Catholic Women’s Fireside Chat. Since Jerry and Darius were in a room full of remarkable women, the night’s focus was about the unsung heroes of The Nine Devines of Chippewa Falls: The Devine Women. With Deacon Devine telling stories of how his mother and sisters lifted their family out of poverty and into prosperity, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. With Mary Kay Devine – the woman who walked side by side with the Deacon during his 45 years of service – also in attendance, the sizable crowd showered the couple with a standing ovation.
For the last stop on this magical, mystical ride, it was back to the Chippewa Valley and the delightfully charming Public Library in Altoona, Wisconsin. Though still spry and agile at a nearly 91 years old, Deacon Devine called in a pitch hitter for this event. While not a “lefty” himself, Tim Devine was an excellent choice as he has been both a champion for The Nine Devines and also wrote the forward to the book. Tim and Darius spoke to a wonderful group of people, many learning about the book for the first time, and invoked an analogy: how the creation of the book, like what happened to the Devine family, was like two separate rivers once far apart that over time slowly came together at a confluence and is now one singular and unified force that is flowing together to a shared destination.
The changing of the leaves has brought with it growing interest in The Nine Devines of Chippewa Falls. These events have highlighted how truly blessed we are to come together in the spirit of sharing family stories while making new memories along the way.
