SAN DIEGO — In June of 2013, Deacon Bobby Ehnow found himself shackled to Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Deacon Ehnow, then a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and still about 12 years away from being ordained to the diaconate, had been convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for bribery. The notorious terrorist was his seatmate on the U.S. Marshals Service’s airline, nicknamed “Con Air,” en route to federal prison in Florence, Colorado.
Deacon Ehnow said that, after “a little bit of bravado back and forth,” the odd couple actually opened up to one another during their seven-hour journey.
“We had a fruitful conversation about faith, of all things,” said Deacon Ehnow, who uses the story of that flight as the opening scene in his new book, “All Things New: A Journey from Brokenness to Restoration,” which was published April 15 through New City Press.
Deacon Ehnow spent 27 and a half months in prison and, in May of 2015, was released to another four months of home confinement. From September 2015 to May 2018, he earned a doctorate in Leadership Studies and Nonprofit Management from the University of San Diego. He joined the staff of the diocesan Office for Life, Peace and Justice in July 2018 as associate director for restorative justice, became the office’s director in October 2019, and was ordained a permanent deacon on May 24, 2025.
“The book details my own spiritual journey after retiring from the Marine Corps, through incarceration, bankruptcy, etc., to a restored life through the love and support of … family, friends, colleagues, parishioners and community members,” said Deacon Ehnow. “The purpose of the book is to change hearts and recognize that, through love — most notably, God’s love — all things are possible.”
Since joining the diocesan staff, Deacon Ehnow has shared his story many times. Some of those who heard it had told him that he should write a book. But he didn’t give the notion much thought prior to making the acquaintance of Charles Camosy, founding editor of the Magenta book series, published by New City Press.
Camosy invited the deacon to write a book for the Magenta series, which takes its name from a color found halfway between red and blue on the color spectrum, symbolizing consensus amid the political polarization of our time.
The title “All Things New” comes from the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:4-5).
Of the book, Deacon Ehnow said, “It’s about God’s justice.”
He cites the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) as an illustration of what he calls “biblical justice” and which is more widely known as “restorative justice.”
“It would have been wholly justified to stone her under Jewish law, right?” he said of the woman who was brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees for judgment. But Jesus “infused mercy and forgiveness into that particular scene in our Gospel, and that’s what perfects justice.”
Instead of condemning her, Jesus chose to “reintegrate” the woman back into society, Deacon Ehnow said. He noted that this “doesn’t negate accountability,” pointing out that Jesus’ parting words to her were: “Go, and sin no more.”
Deacon Ehnow said that his book explores this concept of restorative justice through “personal storytelling” and a critical reflection on the current state of the criminal justice system. He shares his firsthand experience of conviction, incarceration and re-entry, as well as what he has encountered working alongside others in detention ministry. For example, an entire chapter is dedicated to Kairos House, a San Diego-based transitional housing facility for men recently released from prison or jail.
Writing the book was “very therapeutic and healing in a lot of ways,” said Deacon Ehnow, who explained that the process required him to reflect on his experiences and reexamine his notes and old journals. He thinks “the most rewarding thing” about writing it was that, when his wife read it, she was able to see that he understood how much pain she and their children went through “as a result of what happened to me.”
He acknowledged that it might not have seemed that way at the time: “When I was going through it … I was so wrapped up in what was happening to me that I wasn’t able to communicate and be compassionate, understanding what was happening to my family.”
Paul Callan, who wrote the book’s foreword, told The Southern Cross that he and Deacon Ehnow have a “30-year bond” that goes back to their service in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“The book is exactly what we most need today in our modern society, namely an honest witness telling an honest story,” said Callan. “Bobby’s book is not a ‘self-help’ book; it is a searing account of a personal fall, of deep loss, and of ultimate reconciliation and restoration.”
Callan noted that the central image on the book cover is “kintsugi,” a Japanese artform that uses gold lacquer to piece together broken pottery.
“The blemishes are not hidden, but adorned with the gold, and what is ultimately admired is the repair. The defects become reborn as art, and the result is that the visible restoration is more beautiful than perfection,” said Callan, who sees kintsugi as an apt metaphor.
“Our human brokenness can be healed and, once healed, become our strength,” he explained, “but the fault lines never really disappear; they melt back into our character and form the full tapestry of our life.”
David R. Karp, Ph.D., director of the University of San Diego’s Center for Restorative Justice and program director for its Master of Arts in Restorative Justice, has known and collaborated with Deacon Ehnow since 2019.
Karp, who has already read his friend’s book, said, “The experience Bobby had with our justice system made him personally aware of its many problems and the tremendous challenges that justice-impacted people have with successful reintegration. Because of Bobby’s extensive military background, he has matched his concern for responding to injustice with disciplined focus and energy.”
He said, “Bobby is courageous for telling his story and an inspiration to those who care about improving our criminal justice system.”
“All Things New” is available through Amazon and Focolare Media. A portion of the proceeds will support prison re-entry programming in San Diego and Los Angeles.
