When you fall in love, you want to spend as much time together as possible and learn all you can about your loved one. For author Chris Stepien, his ebook Three Days: The Search for the Boy Messiah was about love. His love of God led Stepien to want to know him better. His love […]
Catholics throughout the world might be familiar with Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC as a frequent conference speaker. In many of his talks he shares the story of his radical conversion to the Catholic faith, recounted in another book, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy. Due to his frequent conference appearances he has developed a […]
In every person’s life, there should be a person who, as C.S. Lewis says, “hears the song in your heart and can sing it back to you.” Through this devoted love, one overcomes fears, hurts and selfishness, and the soul expands. For the Lovely family in Sherry Boas’ fictional Lily series, this person is the […]
In 1999, Tracy Sands was inspired while listening to Christian music at a church event. With only a pen and the program she received at the door to work with, she began sketching quickly. The urge to create was so strong she “felt as though she would pop if she didn’t get the ideas out […]
In The Discernment of Spirits, an Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living, Fr. Timothy Gallagher has endeavored to write a “how-to guide” on the reading of the Ignatian Rules. He has broken down each rule and explained what is meant by it. He supports his descriptions with vignettes from the lives of users of the Ignatian […]
Frozen Footprints (Tumblar House, 2012) is the latest contribution to Catholic suspense by Therese Heckenkamp, author of Past Suspicion. I freely admit, suspense is not my genre of choice, but Heckenkamp once again managed to keep me interested and invested in this story. Charlene and Max Perigard are twins, raised by their grandfather, a wealthy […]
During the summer of 1998, our family faced the sudden death of our twelve-year-old son. He was perfectly healthy that morning, but during the night, his airways had a spasm and closed up. We discovered him blue and not breathing. I said “faced” because we came face to face with death; waiting for medical help, […]
Last night I finished reading Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey, M.D (2008). My family physician recommended the book at my annual checkup last month. I told my doctor of my various discomforts and moodiness—I’m pretty healthy, but hadn’t been feeling 100%. He didn’t offer pills or […]
What is the difference between a child born in the Twenty-first century and one born in 300 BC? Nothing, since human nature is unchanging, but everything, if modern child-rearing techniques are applied. Human nature never changes, be it during ancient times or in the modern world. Thus, Aristotle’s philosophy was as brilliant in 350 BC […]
Judging from the front cover of A Winter Dream, which features a lit-up Christmas tree, one might expect that this latest offering from best-selling author Richard Paul Evans is a Christmas story. It is not; it is a story for every season. While it does open with a dream that includes a Christmas-type tree, this […]
There is something about teaching one’s children about the facts of life that inspires fear in the hearts of parents everywhere. When that day came for my boys and me, I nervously searched my local library for an appropriate book (many I found were clearly not appropriate from a moral standpoint), sat down on the […]
What is one activity that every family should do together daily? No matter how functional or dysfunctional a family is, this activity will make things better. Answer: Pray together. Holy Family Prayer Book, Prayers for Every Family by the Missionaries of the Holy Family is a simple yet practical book. Rather than overwhelming one with […]
Healed through Cancer by James Littleton is a treasure trove of faith, scripture quotes, and brotherly advice, as well as a personal account of one man’s journey through cancer and the fruits of that journey. With depth and understanding, Littleton takes his readers through the physical, spiritual, and emotional “valley of death” as he learns of […]
How can your family find healing, strength, and protection in the sacraments? They can learn how in the book, Seven from Heaven (The Crossroad Publishing Company) by Elizabeth Ficocelli. As a matter of fact, that question is the exact subtitle of her book. “God’s powerful presence in the seven sacraments is the reason they hold […]
A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism is the book I wish I had owned and read when I was going through my own pregnancies. Sarah Reinhard, a self-described “non-baby” person – even though she has three lovely children of her own, takes an honest and faith-filled look at […]
Elizabeth Ficocelli, an adult convert to the Catholic faith, is a woman in love with the sacraments. That love shines forth in her latest book, Seven from Heaven: How the Sacraments Can Heal, Nurture, and Protect Your Family Today. She believes that teaching about the sacraments is “the perfect catechetical tool . . . to […]
The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition by Cardinal Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington D.C. and Mike Aquilina is a well-written and concise book about the Holy Mass. Though it was written to coincide with the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal last year, I think it can also be a great tool for […]
The world of academia during the Seventies opened our minds so wide that our brains seemed to fall out. False teachings often undermined faith and morals. Yet, we came away believing we were more highly evolved than when we went in. I recall one professor warning a class of seniors: “You will be surprised that […]
Truth told, I rarely read fiction. My coffee table is covered by theology books, and when I do need a good “story” I get it the way God intended – the SyFy Channel. When I heard “pro-life novel” however, my interest was piqued. I am thrilled to report that Kari Burke’s The Life I Dreamed […]
Baby loss through miscarriage is one of the last taboo subjects in our society. Because in most cases, it is largely a hidden loss, the grief associated with it is all too often dismissed easily by people who just don’t understand. Karen Edmisten and those who contributed to After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman’s Companion to […]
A Heart on Fire: Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by James Kubicki, S.J. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2012 Sometimes people feel as if devotions such as that to the Sacred Heart went the way of the horse and buggy after Vatican II. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, […]
We are all called to holiness. Sometimes this can seem like an impossible call, especially when things get tough. And, at times the path to heaven can look like a fork in the road. What to do? If you read the lives of the saints, you’ll discover that they’re all so different that no one […]
Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Début by Rebecca Bratten Weiss and Regina Doman Front Royal, VA: Chesterton Press, 2012 Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Début is the intelligent Catholic woman’s beach read. This book is so much fun that you won’t want to put it down until you have turned the last page with a […]
Like any good Catholic kid growing up in the ’60s, I had favorite saints, those holy people who brought me comfort and fed my curiosity and imagination. How I loved the Blessed Virgin Mary! Then there was Saint Anthony, who stood there in his plaster glory, with all the old ladies standing around the base […]
