Catholic Books

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.

A needed antidote for our culture of anger. As both mainstream and Christian culture become more polarized and terms like “age of anger” become commonplace, The Angry Christian meets a desperate need. Not self-help or psychology, this book looks first and foremost at the Bible for answers to the problems of anger. The Bible’s answer? Christians can be good and be angry at the same time. This is possible, and spiritually healthy, if you allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to get angry for the right reasons, and keep your anger under control. Ghezzi also shows you how to: Use anger constructively Use scripture to discipline anger Let anger help you overcome obstacles “The Angry Christian draws from scripture, life in the Holy Spirit, and the virtues to fashion a response to anger that can become a moment of grace and holiness.” —His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington “Whether anger is ally or adversary, righteous or right-filled depends upon its when, where, and why. Ghezzi masterfully reveals anger in all its faces, teaching how to harness it for maximum Christian good.” —Dr. Ray Guarendi, clinical psychologist and author of Fighting Mad “Anger is the mental virus of our age. It's an infection that becomes a poison that becomes an addiction, both bitter and delicious. Unless it's curbed, the habitual taste for conflict can break apart communities and families, and eat away every trace of our inner peace. In The Angry Christian, Bert Ghezzi explains the roots and nature of this emotional slavery with exceptional skill. Even more importantly, he shows us how we can be free of it." —Charles J. Chaput, O. F. M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia “Bert Ghezzi is publishing an extremely important book for this particular time. Not only are a lot of people angrily reacting against other people and institutions in our society, but they evoke counter-reactions in ever more volatile forms. Bert addresses the reality of anger in human life, its usefulness and its need for control in practical ways that Christians can apply to themselves. This is a book which one can bring to prayer for meditation and from which one can gain much wisdom in a foolishly angry world.” —Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, EWTN TV and Radio Host "In these tumultuous times, many of us see something that makes us angry almost every time we log on to our computers. Bert has provided a much-needed resource that helps us understand how to channel those intense feelings into making the world a better place." —Jennifer Fulwiler, SiriusXM Radio Host and author of One Beautiful Dream "We’re taught in church to avoid our anger and the pain that goes with it, but in an era of political, social and religious anger, how do we channel it for good? As Ghezzi suggests in his book, anger can be a slow and steady work toward justice, and a useful tool for the hearts of Christians, if we keep it in check and understand how it works. This book is for the average human who struggles to know themselves and others better in all the emotions that come with relationship, and a guide to help us become more whole along the way." —Kaitlin Curtice, author of Glory Happening

The poor will always be with you, Jesus said - but that doesn’t mean Christians have ever figured out how to be with the poor. Pope Francis has emphasized a vision of a “Church that is poor and for the poor.” But growing economic inequality continues to spread across the globe. This book takes a fresh look at the role of churches, and individual Christians, in relating to poverty and the poor among them. A strong focus is placed on the biblical and theological roots of the Church’s commitment to care for the poor. At times praised as a virtue and blessed as a condition, poverty easily confuses us, and we are often left doing little to nothing to make a difference with and for the poor. As a social evil and a burden, poverty has elicited many kinds of reactions among the followers of Christ. It is time for Christians to figure out what to do about it. Contributors include Pope Francis, Pheme Perkins, Sandra M. Schneider, and Thomas Massaro SJ. “This book provides a wonderful, provocative theological framework for those of us who minister among our most vulnerable sisters and brothers. For anyone who regularly looks into the eyes of suffering, this book offers context, hope, and inspiration.” —DONNA MARKHAM, OP, President and CEO, Catholic Charities USA “The authors challenge us to see, hear, and think differently about the meanings of poverty, and to love passionately those whom Jesus loved—the poor.” —PROFESSOR M. SHAWN COPELAND, author of Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being “As a good Franciscan, Ken Himes knows poverty from the inside and has taught well his student Conor Kelly. Here they draw together rich resources that call all of us to the poverty we need, and to resist needless poverty. This book is an ideal resource for conversation.” —THOMAS H. GROOME, author of What Makes Us Catholic, Sharing Faith, and many other books Published in cooperation with the Church in the 21st Century Center, Boston College

By Marie Louise Guste-Nix Visions of Splendor is a book of inspirational poems, illustrated with 38 full-page color photographs. The poems capture the presence of a loving God as experienced in the arms of a created world filled with diversity. The author invites the reader to experience the beauty and power of the amazing God who designed us.

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

By Sr. Faith RiccioThis lovely little gift book about approaching and praying with icons everyday has over 60 full color images of Sr. Faith. SKU: 46529

By Jerusha Hull McCormackThis book is designed to help those in pain—and specifically those who are coping with how to grieve the death of a loved one—to imagine the path before them. There is no sure route on how to grieve. JerushaMcCormack provides instead a series of signposts by which we may find our own path to a new life. "We are all amateurs at grief," she writes, "it comes to us all; we must all go through it. To treat grief as a problem to be fixed, or (worse still) to medicalize it, is to rob us of the extraordinary privilege of encountering this experience on our terms: for each of us has our own way of grieving, and each of us has something special to learnfrom the process."For anyone coping with how to grieve, or dealing with loss. "Chances are, if you are reading this, your heart is broken. This book is designed to help those in pain—and specifically those who have lost someone through death—to imagine the path before them. It is a path of suffering. But it is also a path that may lead to unexpected discoveries—and to peace." —Jerusha HullMcCormack "This book is a personal, concrete exploration of ways to deal with the pain of loss. It is a book of lessons learned firsthand by the author in her own grieving, and so the book has an unusual immediacy and usefulness. I can imagine giving it to a friend as a first resource. While there are many books offering theories about grief, this one offers a phenomenology of sorrow, a charting of a wide range of experiences anyone might have in the aftermath of loss. It is an excellentbook addressed to the person grieving, not to the person thinking about grief." —Thomas Moore,author of Care of the Soul "McCormack writes straight from the heart in a simple language that is infused with a spirituality that is never preachy or pushy... Anyone who is grieving or anyone who knows a grieving person will find hope and support in this small book." —Publishers Weekly, starred review. SKU: 46518

By Peter GordayDiscover the wisdom of this controversial theologian whose counsel and meditations have found a wide audience for more than three centuries. Fran?ois F_nelon was a seventeenth-century French archbishop who rose to a position of influence in the court of Louis XIV. Amid the splendor and decadence of Versailles, F_nelon became a wise mentor to many members of the king's court as well as to the controversial Madame Guyon. Later exiled from Versailles for political reasons, F_nelon set out to improve the lot of peasants of his diocese and to deepen the spiritual life of all with whom he came in contact. Until his death, he corresponded with those at court who had become his spiritual "children." Twenty-first century Christians are rediscovering the wisdom of this spiritual thinker. Together with Pascal—who was an old man in Fenelon's youth—he showed how it was possible to have devotion and faith in the Age of Enlightenment. He battled heresies, faced charges of heresy himself, and wrote masterful books of insight into the spiritual life. "Peter Gorday's life of Fenelon is a gem. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in Fenelon or Christian mysticism in general." _Dr. Chad Helms, Professor of Modern Foreign Languages, Presbyterian College, and editor of Fenelon:Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality) "Gorday traces the complex situation in Fenelon's time and the varying perspectives of his interpreters. He declares him not cunning but tough as a thinker. In this book, we get not only a fascinating story but also a subtle guide to self-examination." -Dr. Eugene TeSelle, Emeritus, Vanderbilt Divinity School. SKU: 46501