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People from all faiths and none at all find in the Celtic tradition an expression of spirituality deeply connected to nature, and vibrantly alive — a spiritual rootedness we long for in the twenty-first century — at the same time simpler and more richly diverse. This book is a collection of some of the most beautiful prayers of the Celtic tradition that speak to us across the centuries. The early Celts lived in a time and place where nature was ever-present — in the seasonal harvest and disruptions of it, in the sometimes brutal climate, and in all the gifts from the earth. In their simple rural life, they were surrounded by the cycles of nature: the seasons, lunar months, tides, dawn and dusk. Even in ordinary tasks — gardening, metalworking, sheep herding, and farm chores — they felt God’s sacred presence all around in the natural world.

St. John Bosco was a priest of the diocese of Turin, Italy, and founder of the Society of St. Francis de Sales. Famous for his kindliness and gentleness, he is a patron of disadvantaged youth because of his caring for children on the streets and juvenile delinquents, whose welfare he made his life's work. Giving them shelter and care, teaching them skills for future employment, and even enticing them with his uncanny magic tricks and juggling skills, Don Bosco was famous as a helper of the poor and needy children created by the Industrial Revolution, as well as a beloved publisher of catechetical works. He was called to the priesthood at an early age and, through struggle and hard work, obtained the education necessary to be ordained. His life work was among the poor and needy, both young men and women (through the congregations he founded especially). He wrote volumes, including over 220 works, in addition to all the other efforts he made, which included pioneering a method of education that was based on love rather than punishment and guiding the Salesians to become one of the largest religious orders in the world. All of his students grew to love him, and he was ever seen teaching and guiding many youths to greater charity. He died in 1888; his funeral was attended by thousands. But there was yet far more inside this powerhouse saint than meets the eye. Recorded in his memoirs, St. John Bosco's mystical dreams—provided in this short biography as well—reveal a side of the gentle saint that is scarcely recognizable, taking him squarely from the image of the saint of social welfare to one as a mystical pastor of souls. The dreams—really allegorical visions, and terrible ones—saw him tossing on the waves of the high seas of modernism that roiled and rocked the Barque of the Church, or facing a horrifying, massive snake that was strangled in the rope of the Rosary, or permeating by divine guidance straight to the depths of Hell and back again. Yes, Don Bosco was also a mystic—and an extraordinary one at that. Most of all, Don Bosco's life of service to others, especially the youth, and bringing them to Christ, show this: that the interior life is always the source of exterior action. Here is the life of an underrated and extremely important saint for our times.

Saint Gerard Majella, the Wonder-Worker and "Patron of Expectant Mothers," is worth far more to the veneration of Catholics than he has been afforded for much of history. Though he died of tuberculosis at only 29 as a lay brother, he achieved paramount sanctity, as great as the wonderworkers of the first millennium. His character was such that his religious superiors attested not only that he had never committed a mortal sin, but also that they could not detect a single trace of guilt at all! St. Gerard was born in Muro, south of Naples, in 1726. His father died while he was a child, and so his mother sent him to be an apprentice tailor under his uncle, who was a kind master, though Gerard suffered on account of the foreman. Eventually, St. Gerard found work on his own as a servant of the rather picky Bishop of Lacedonia, who died, leaving Gerard to go back to work as a tailor. He gave to his mother and the poor and also donated for Masses for the poor souls in Purgatory. Hearing God's call to religion, he tried to become a Franciscan and then a hermit but failed both times. At last he managed to enter the newly founded Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer—the Redemptorists—at age 26. His jobs included all manner of manual labor, which he performed dutifully, and he even bound himself to an additional vow to always do that which seemed more perfect, not only exhibiting perfect obedience when asked but also obeying his superiors' unspoken desires even in their absence. He became called the Father of the Poor for his strenuous work, despite his frail health, and it was a mortification of the will for him to stay away from the Lord in the tabernacle. One particular example of his sanctity comes from early in his career as a Redemptorist. Though he was a marvel of chastity, when he was 27, he was accused of being the father of a young pregnant woman's child. He bore the lie resolutely, patiently, and silently, barred from receiving Sacramental Communion on account of his unwillingness to deny his guilt. It was not for years, until the woman died having revealed the truth, that Gerard was finally acquitted, earning the astonished praise of St. Alphonsus Liguori himself. His miracles were intense and known to many, including raising a boy from the dead who had fallen off a cliff; multiplying wheat and bread; walking on water to save fisherman from a storm; and posthumously saving an expectant mother and baby in childbirth by his handkerchief. St. Gerard became famous for these miracles and more: cures, charities, ecstasies, mortifications, prayers, purity, obedience, zeal for souls, discernment of spirits, penetration of hearts, infused knowledge, prophecies, knowledge of distant events, bilocations, and power over nature and over other human hearts—and even over the devil. Finally, he predicted the day and hour of his own death of tuberculosis in 1755. Recounted in this sizeable biography are also his funeral, posthumous miracles, beatification, and canonization in 1904. You will have to search far and wide to find another Saint's life as inspiring as that of St. Gerard Majella. For God has surely manifested His approval of this servant and his wonderful sanctity through such many and great miracles of grace.

The Soldier of Christ The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola was one of the most startling and imposing saints in the history of the Church. Born in 1491 to Spanish nobility, he spent his youth as a courtier, focused on worldly things like his appearance and gaining temporal glory. He described himself later as a manifold sinner. Eventually, he became a soldier in the Spanish army. In 1521, at age 30, his life conversion struck: hit by a cannonball, he was forced into a convalescence of several months. To spend the time, he read; when he found the romantic and knightly novels he requested were not available, he read the lives of the saints and of Christ. His heart was stirred to repentance and imitation of the saints, and he began to compare his dreams for his life: serving the king and wooing a particular woman of the king's court or serving God and imitating the penances and fasts of the saints. The former left him sad and dissatisfied, and the latter left him peaceful and joyful: thus he knew what was the way, and this became the foundation of his method of discernment. After his recovery, Ignatius was a new man. After confessing and vowing his life to Our Lady, he lived in a cave for a time and performed exceeding fasts and penances. Throughout this period, he was tempted by suicide and was filled with scruples, but he persevered and gained the grace of visions and discernment of spirits. He recorded the first elements of his famous Spiritual Exercises, made a harrowing pilgrimage to the Holy Land (only to be turned away), and studied at universities for 11 years. Eventually, he gathered six companions and formed the basis of the Society of Jesus, that monumental, titanic, and legitimately world-shifting religious order which owes its existence to him. After ordination, Ignatius took 18 months to prepare for his first Holy Mass. When at last the society was formalized, the pope took a great liking to them. Among their constitutions were the revolutionary rule not to accept ecclesiastical dignities and the extremely long period of probation. Ignatius guided the order through massive growth spurts and trials, ultimately succumbing to illness in utter peace, passing quietly into eternity. This life of the soldier saint will inspire you and invigorate your faith life. No one is too far gone to turn back to God, and, if his own life experience is any indication, this biography will work wonders in stoking your desire to become a saint!

St. Anne, the beloved Mother of Our Lady and Grandmother of Christ Our Lord, has proven herself a heavenly helper for every need. Although we know next to nothing of her historically, the traditions record that she was a pious and holy woman. Like St. Elizabeth, she was sterile until her older years, when God finally heard the fervent prayer of St. Anne and her husband St. Joachim, the Grandparents of God, to grant them a child—indeed, the most extraordinary in history, after Christ: for to St. Anne was granted the immeasurable grace of conceiving in her womb immaculately the holy Mother of God, destined to be a spotless Bride of the Lord. In Good St. Anne, find the tale of this holy matriarch, and learn how to call upon her intercession. Among her titles, she is especially invoked as: Patroness of Mothers, Comfort of the Sorrowing, Mother of the Poor, Health of the Sick, Patroness of the Childless, Help of the Pregnant, Model of Married Women and Mothers, Protectress of Widows, and Patroness of Laborers. The Mother of the Mother of God, the holy St. Anne, prays for us in our every need if we only ask her. She is of course especially close to Our Lady, and she provides for us a means of securing the heavenly patronage of Our Sweet Mother Mary, who is the surest means of knowing Our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Anne, privileged to bear the Mother of God, and to become in Christ a daughter of the one you bore, pray for us to Our Lady and to God!. SKU: 97981

For over a thousand years, Benedictine monks around the world have followed the daily pattern of morning, noon, and evening prayer known as the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office. Gathered from the Benedictine tradition, the prayers included in this book grew up around the celebration of the Divine Office—embellishing it, illuminating it, and echoing it for generations of the faithful. The Saint Benedict Prayer Book also reclaims little-known prayers (Little Offices, Commemorations, and Litanies) from long ago. For anyone seeking a way of prayer rooted in ancient wisdom, this little book offers a sure path.

By Mary Fabyan Windeatt "They've sent a mere boy to fight against me!" roared the giant Goliath, as he caught sight of David across the valley. "Am I just a dog?" Things did not look good for David, yet wasn't the Lord on his side? King David and His Songs: A Story of the Psalms describes what happened next, plus the many other great events in the life of this shepherd boy who became a warrior, a hero, a fugitive, a king, and the ancestor of Our Lord. 138 Pages . SKU: 46526

By Sybil MacBethPraying in color can take as little or as much time as you have or want to commit, from 15 minutes to a weekend retreat. "A new prayer form gives God an invitation and a new door to penetrate the locked cells of our hearts and minds," explains MacBeth. "For many of us, using only words to pray reduces God by the limits of our finite words." Maybe you hunger to know God better. Maybe you lovecolor. Maybe you are a visual or kinesthetic learner, a distractable or impatient soul, or a word-weary pray-er. Perhaps you struggle with a short attention span, a restless body, or a tendency to live in your head this new prayer form helps to communicate with God. This smaller, "portable" edition has also been revised andupdated by the author for the new format. SKU: 46536