Spiritual

The life of Christian discipleship begins at Baptism. Through the life-saving waters, a new Christian is freed from sin, shares in the death and Resurrection of Christ, and is made a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. But with this gift from God comes important responsibilities. This short booklet explores the Catholic understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism and the baptized Christian's important role in sharing the light of Christ. The questions at the end of each short chapter will help readers reflect upon what it means to be a Christian disciple in the world today, living lives of justice, charity, and love.

Also available in Spanish - OWSAFD

ISBN 9781616716868

By their baptism, the faithful are called to make Christ tangibly present in the world. To understand this vocation, it is necessary to grasp what it means to share in a royal priesthood and a mission to preach the Gospel to draw others into life in the Body of Christ. Author Stephen S. Wilbricht, csc, presents a discussion on the communal nature of baptism for parish groups to reflect upon for a deeper understanding of what their discipleship entails.

ISBN 9781616716851

80 Pages

Paperback

As leaders in the faith community, the parish staff are to guide the faithful to embrace their baptismal call to make Christ tangibly present in the world. To support parish administrative staff, this resource presents an examination of the communal nature of baptism by author Stephen S. Wilbricht, csc, concrete examples from pastoral ministers of ways discipleship is lived out, and seven short prayer services that reflect on aspects of baptism.

ISBN 9781616716844

Paperback 6x9

144 Pages

Do you feel exhausted, anxious, or distracted? Do you want to free your mind from mental clutter?

Popular retreat leader and spiritual director Fr. Christopher Collins, SJ, says that if you turn your heart to God you will find clarity and spiritual peace. In Habits of Freedom, Collins offers you five practical tools to help you develop a habit of daily discernment that will lead to inner calm.

Drawing on the wisdom of St. Ignatius Loyola and his renowned Spiritual Exercises, Collins offers practical spiritual exercises for incorporating five tools into your daily life to help you de-stress, organize your thoughts, and experience the calming presence of Jesus. These are:

• allowing God to show you the signs of oncoming anxiety and mental breakdown;
• developing the ancient practice of spiritual discernment to help analyze your moods and perceptions;
• interpreting life events with an eye toward personal growth and resiliency;
• practicing detachment from negative influences; and
• engaging in interior sensitivity to how God works to bring you peace.

Habits of Freedom is an excellent resource for spiritual directors and individuals, as well as for use in prayer and parish groups seeking practical material that can speak broadly to members from a variety of backgrounds and seasons of life. The book can be easily adapted for small groups and retreat use

12 Habits for Christian Leaders by Ann M. Garrido

It seems counterintuitive: conflict can be a blessing. But Catholic theologian and conflict mediator Ann M. Garrido identifies conflict as a potentially fruitful exchange that arises from living and working together in the diverse world God created. Garrido, author of the bestselling Redeeming Administration, offers twelve practical habits for responding to conflict, pairs each habit with a spiritual companion from history, and offers questions and prayers for growth.

In Redeeming Conflict, Ann Garrido explains that conversion comes through conversation, that there is a difference between the truth and my truth, and that you should  be curious and practice Pentecost listening or empathic listening even if you think something is way off base.

Garrido will help Christian leaders discover how to speak directly with colleagues about tensions and about how to know themselves well enough to keep from becoming defensive in the face of negative feedback.

She uses saintly examples to illustrate her points, calling upon stories of St. Francis and a Muslim sultan, Leo the Great, Archbishop :scar Romero, and Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. Garrido also offers sample exercises and tools to work through conflict within an organization and provides self-assessment questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter to help apply it to your personal and professional life. A small group discussion guide and a parish resource guide, which features homily and bulletin aids are available as a free downloads for the book.

Has the contemporary American polity remained capable of asking itself questions about its purpose and integrity? We recall our optimistic beginnings, sure of God blessing, yet something has gone wrong. We are at odds with each other and even our friends. What brought us to this moment, and is there anything we the people can do?

In Claiming Your Voice, Vest examines four contemporary deforming patterns: market culture, American empire, climate crisis, and racism. In consideration of the Christian foundations in prophetic imagination and Benedictine spirituality, she illustrates that Americans are called to provide energy for hope, to cut through public numbness, and to penetrate the deceptions of imperial consciousness so that God and the sacred again become visible and empowering for all our people.

Written by Mary De Turris Poust

Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas 2022-2023

Follow Jesus through His interaction with farmers, shepherds, aristocrats, religious and political leaders, and laborers in 13 parables filled with contrast, exaggeration, humor, and surprise that represent more than one third of His teachings. The scholar and the student, the expert and the layperson can draw inspiration from the greatest storyteller the world has ever known. Even lifetime Catholics who think they know the parables will be rewarded with the wisdom and history that the author shares on these beloved, grace-filled stories.

• ISBN:9781953152084
• Pages:176
• Author:MOST REV. ARTHUR J. SERRATELLI, S.T.D., S.S.L., D.D.
• Size:5 1/4 X 7 3/4
• Color:FULL COLOR
• Binding:PAPERBACK

St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, is one of the most influential spiritual leaders of all time, yet many readers find his  Rules for Discernment  hard to understand. What can Ignatius teach us about the discernment of spirits that lies at the very heart of Christian life? In  The Discernment of Spirits, Fr. Timothy Gallagher, a talented teacher, retreat leader, and scholar, helps us understand the Rules and how their insights are essential for our spiritual growth today. By integrating the Rules and the experience of contemporary people, Gallagher shows the precision, clarity, and insight of Ignatius's Rules, as well as the relevance of his thought for spiritual life today. When we learn to read Ignatius correctly, we discover in his remarkable words our own struggles, joys, and triumphs. This book is for all who desire greater awareness of God's action in their daily spiritual lives, and is essential reading for retreat directors, spiritual directors, priests, and counselors.

Author: Timothy Gallagher

ISBN:  0824522915

How does trauma affect a child's mind--and how can that mind recover?

Child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce D. Perry has helped children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, murder witnesses, kidnapped teenagers, and victims of family violence. In the classic  The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, Dr. Perry tells their stories of trauma and transformation and shares their lessons of courage, humanity, and hope. Deftly combining unforgettable case histories with his own compassionate, insightful strategies for rehabilitation, Perry explains what happens to children's brain when they are exposed to extreme stress--and reveals the unexpected measures that can be taken to ease such pain and help them grow into healthy adults. Only when we understand the science of the mind and the power of love and nurturing can we hope to heal the spirit of even the most wounded child.

ISBN: 9780465094455

With humor and ease, Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, deftly unlocks the "one thing," the key to the Church's wisdom, and the greatest mystery of the Catholic faith: the Most Holy Trinity. Far from being a scholarly or academic read, The "One Thing" is Three makes deep theology accessible to every-day Catholics. What's more, it makes even what's familiar or forgotten appear in a way that's new, exciting, and relevant. Thus, The "One Thing" is Three brings its readers a unique and powerful experience of the faith. It's the perfect book for the Year of Faith.

A Life-Changing Book on Christian Virtues from the Author of  Sacred Marriage
"When we practice the virtues of Christ," writes bestselling author Gary Thomas, "we become who God created us to be." In this classic book of spiritual formation, we encounter true discipleship--the life we were made for--by observing Jesus in his daily life: his interactions with the people around him, his reactions and responses to spiritual warfare, his thoughtful engagement of complicated questions about faith and profound temptations. Jesus embodied the virtues that God has invited us all to cultivate. This book becomes instrumental to our spiritual growth.

There aren't a lot of books that focus squarely on classical Christian virtues; those that do often approach the topic in a scholarly, detached fashion. Gary Thomas has a deep concern for the spiritual vitality of his audience, and that concern comes through in this book.

Gary Thomas is one of the most celebrated writers on spiritual formation, with beloved books sitting alongside other contemporary classics by authors such as Dallas Willard, James Bryan Smith, and Richard Foster. In his distinct style, he provides a heartfelt survey of humility, chastity, generosity, patience, perseverance, and more, as demonstrated in the life of Jesus. These virtues are for us, and this book draws lines from our lived experience to the lived experience of Christ, and back to us, pointing the way to a more vibrant faith and a more fulfilling life.

Pub Date: 12/08/2020

During the past twenty years, and continuing at an increasing rate, individual priests and lay ministers have been asked to serve multiple parishes. Schuth looks at models of leadership that contribute to vital parishes as well as factors that might lead to the diminishment of vibrant parish life. Readers hear the voices of pastors as they express the rewards and challenges of serving more than one parish.

But Katarina Schuth does far more than a statistical analysis of this emerging model of parish ministry. Through extensive research and interviews with pastors, she looks at models of leadership that contribute to vital parishes as well as factors that might lead to the diminishment of vibrant parish life.

In Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes, we hear the voices of pastors as they express the rewards and challenges of serving more than one parish. These voices serve to guide and support the growing number of ministers who serve multiple parishes. Just as important, however, these voices provide insight for bishops, diocesan staff, and seminary educators as they strive to meet the special needs of these ministers and the people the serve.

Katarina Schuth, O.S.F., Ph.D., holds the Endowed Chair for the Social Scientific Study of Religion at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Her other books include Educating Leaders for Ministry: Issues and Responses (with Victor J. Klimoski and Kevin J. ONeil, Liturgical Press, 2005); Seminaries, Theologates, and the Future of Church Ministry: An Analysis of Trends and Transitions (Liturgical Press, 1999); and Reason for the Hope: The Futures of Roman Catholic Theologates (Michael Glazier, 1989).

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814618295, 1829
Details: 256 pgs , 6 x 9
Publication Date: 11/01/2006

"With Renewing Our Hope: Essays for the New Evangelization, Bishop Barron traces the need of the renewal of the Catholic Church through four stages: "Renewing Our Mission," regaining confidence to share the Catholic faith by looking to the Church's intellectual inheritance; "Renewing Our Minds," examining that inheritance more closely, including Thomas Aquinas, Hans Urs von Balthasar, John Henry Newman, and Pope Francis; "Renewing the Church," overcoming sexual abuse and strengthening the priesthood and family life; and "Renewing Our Culture," judgments on politics, society, and art. Bishop Barron demonstrates again in this book his ability to make the fruits of his wide reading accessible to a broad audience, while still giving his academic colleagues much to consider. Includes a bibliography and index of subjects and names"

Author: Robert Barron

Love Has a Name: Learning to Love the Different, the Difficult, and Everyone Else

"Some people make it really hard to love them. But we can learn how to love better--often from those we would never expect to teach us. This hopeful guide offers a practical approach to loving like Jesus does"--

Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles: A Traveler's Guide to Catholic America

Americas got faith! Youll find it in every state in grand cathedrals and tiny chapels, in miracle shrines and underwater statues, and even in blessed dirt. Finding these sacred places hasnt been easy, until now!

Monuments, Marvels, and Miracles: A Traveler's Guide to Catholic America takes you to more than 500 of the countrys most intriguing holy sites, each with a riveting story to tell. Stories about:

• architecture (the interior of Guardian Angels Cathedral in Las Vegas resembles angel wings)

• religious history (at Marylands Old Bohemia, Jesuit priests lived and worked incognito during anti-Catholic persecution)

• artifacts (the Miraculous Medal Shrine in Philadelphia holds an original cast by Saint Catherine Labouré)

• answered prayer (from the Grasshopper Chapel in Minnesota to the Coral Miracle Church in Hawaii)

• healing places, beautiful places, hidden places, places where saints walked, and

• much more.

Perhaps you need a godmother . . .

Someone to whisper a blessing and a word of courage over your life. Someone to help you close your gaps. A guide who sees your potential waiting to be recognized, your challenges in need of transformation, and your questions requiring honest answers.

In her most personal, powerful book yet, New York Times  bestselling author Lisa Bevere challenges us to embrace and pursue more in our relationships with one another. Godmothers  offers catalytic insights to position women of all ages to make the intimate, authentic connections that help us realize our dreams and close the breaches in our lives.

Lisa's candid, compassionate words weave together her personal stories, biblical principles, and the world of fairy tales to move you forward as a goddaughter, surrounded by strong relationships and confidence in your calling.

Eavesdropping on Lucifer: A Story Every Christian Should Hear

Similar to the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, the book is an entertaining and thought-provoking story about how the devil is corrupting modern-day culture.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)

Author: Donald Stenberg

God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath
Author:  N.T.  Wright

Discover a different way of seeing and responding to the Coronavirus pandemic, an approach drawing on Scripture, Christian history, and the way of living, thinking, and praying revealed to us by Jesus.

What are we supposed to think about the Coronavirus crisis?

Some people think they know: "This is a sign of the End," they say. "It's all predicted in the book of Revelation."

Others disagree but are equally clear: "This is a call to repent. God is judging the world and through this disease he's telling us to change."

Some join in the chorus of blame and condemnation: "It's the fault of the Chinese, the government, the World Health Organization..."

N. T. Wright examines these reactions to the virus and finds them wanting. Instead, he shows that a careful reading of the Bible and Christian history offers simple though profound answers to our many questions, including:

• What should be the Christian response?
• How should we think about God?
• How do we live in the present?
• Why should we lament?
• What should we learn about ourselves?
• How do we recover?

Written by one of the world's foremost New Testament scholars,  God and the Pandemic  will serve as your guide to read the events of today through the light of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Sex, Love, and Families

Catholic Perspectives
Edited by Jason King and Julie Hanlon Rubio

Six years into the papacy of Pope Francis, Catholics are still figuring out how to respond to his image of the church as a field hospital a church that goes into the streets rather than remaining locked up behind closed doors. Marriage and family are primary sites of the field hospital, called to meet people's need for healing and accompaniment with compassion and love. The authors of this collection all lay, a mix of single and married, traditional and progressive Catholics take up this work. They offer practical wisdom from and critical engagement with the Catholic tradition but avoid rehashing decades-old theological debates. Instead, their essays engage with and respond to realities shaping contemporary family life, like religious pluralism, technology, migration, racism, sex and gender, incarceration, consumerism, and the call to holiness. The result is a collection that envisions ways that families can be places of healing and love in and for the world.

ISBN: 9780814687949
Details: 328 pgs , 6 x 5/8 x 9
Publication Date: 03/30/2020

When someone you love leaves the Catholic Church, they need a great deal of prayer and love. However, approaching that person with the charity that they deserve and need can be confusing. Sr. Theresa Noble, a former fallen-away Catholic, gently voices ways to talk with and love those who have fallen away.

Starting with her story, Sr. Theresa covers the necessary parts of talking with those who have left the Church, told through the lens of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. She addresses the virtues and traits of the father, and how they should apply to approaching those you love. With gentleness, she encourages you to approach them where they are, while emphasizing the importance of the faith.

Above all, she reminds you that God loves your Prodigal even more than you do. With her gentle encouragement, she will lead you to continue to hope for their conversion, so that you might share the joy of the Father when The Prodigal You Love returns home.

Features & Benefits:

• Offers practical advice for approaching fallen away Catholics with love
  
• Written by a formerly fallen away Catholic
  
• Includes lectio divina with the Parable of the Prodigal Son

   

About the Author:

Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP is a former atheist who, thanks to the grace of God, has returned to the faith she was raised in and now tries to help others bring their loved ones back to the faith. A few years after returning to the Church, she heard God calling her, so she left her job in Silicon Valley to join the Daughters of St. Paul. She now lives in Miami, where she prays, evangelizes, bakes bread, and blogs at Pursued by Truth.

In easy-to-read giant type, theImitation of Christfrom Catholic Book Publishing is a beautiful new edition of the original, deeply spiritual book by Thomas Kempis. In this revised, easy-to-read, prayer book size book, readers will experience the peace and wisdom that has comforted Catholics from around the world. TheImitation of Christshows how to better live the life of a Christian by closely following Christ's example. This lovely maroon cloth-covered book also presents sections on the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross illustrated in full color. TheImitation of Christwill bless all who want to respond to the call to follow Jesus.

• ISBN:9780899423227
• Pages:320
• Author:THOMAS A. KEMPIS
• Size:6 3/8 X 9 1/4
• Color:BURGUNDY

In The Spiritual Way: Classic Traditions and Contemporary Practice, Philip Sheldrake aims to make the wisdom of Christian spirituality better known to contemporary readers. After an introductory chapter on the foundations of Christian spirituality, Sheldrake describes its diverse riches through the centuries in terms of five distinctive types of Christian spiritual wisdom, illustrated by a rich selection of classical examples. The five types are "The Way of Discipline," "The Contemplative-Mystical Way," "The Way of Practical Action," "The Way of Beauty," and "The Prophetic Way." This book also briefly explores the contemporary interest in spirituality within and beyond conventional religion and suggests how we might engage with these five types on our spiritual journeys in today's world.

Author: Philip Sheldrake

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814644584
Details: 192 pgs , 6 x 9 x 3/8
Publication Date: 09/06/2019