“Empowering hope to those plagued by nope” is the interesting subtitle on the announcement of a presentation coming soon to Holy Family Church in the Syracuse suburb of Fairmount. Dr. Dillon Caswell is an adjunct professor in the area, a doctor of physical therapy, sports performance coach and a self-proclaimed “hope coach.” He is also an author and a recent convert to the Catholic faith having received his sacraments of initiation at the parish’s Easter Vigil Mass in 2022.
Dr. Dillon Caswell (with candle) during the 2022 Easter Vigil Mass at Holy Family in Fairmount.
“What is the truth, and where do I find the truth?” is a question Caswell says fueled his personal faith journey as well as his medical studies. Experiences he has shared and witnessed along the way have led him to write Hope Not Hope, a book about enabling hope to fuel physical and emotional repair in a healthcare system that itself shows signs of needing healing.
Caswell told the Sun that part of his journey involved “dabbling in this Christian thing.” An “all-in” person by nature, he decided to dive deeper into the faith, undertaking a full reading of the Bible that didn’t quite yield the results he sought. With a laugh he shared that he “started with the Old Testament, got about 20% of the way in and thought, ‘This is dark, I don’t think I can do this!’” The Holy Spirit continued to lead him on the path. One day, in prayer, he asked, “God, what is it that you want me to do?” The message he received was “very clear” he says and led him to write the book as well as being accepted into the Catholic faith.
Caswell has been part of coverage on CBS, NBC and Fox networks, the SiriusXM radio program “Seize the Day with Gus Lloyd” and locally on Channel 9WSYR’s “Bridge Street Morning Show.” He will be giving a talk and signing copies of his book at Holy Family Church at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10. All are welcome and pre-registration is not necessary. For more information, go to visithopenothope.org.
