Judy Gattis Smith takes on an important and difficult topic – a faithful, yet emotionally authentic response to cancer. In Fear Not! she offers a biblically grounded exploration of how one’s response to cancer is part of one’s faith journey. She shows how the crisis offers challenges and opportunities that through God’s grace can transform survivors in deeply healing ways.

The participants’ workbook plus a leader’s guide for facilitating the weekly group meeting. Throughout both, Gattis sustains an intimate, sensitive tone which invites personal reflection and growth. Using storytelling, drawing, meditations, imagery, and Bible passages, she encourages participants to name the many difficult aspects of life with cancer. Then she helps them develop practices that help foster faith and healing. These include using positive memories; choosing perspectives and coping skills; finding ways to approach illness with endurance, courage, and even humor; and discerning patterns in response that are shaping the larger pattern of one’s life journey.

Excerpts from the poetry and journals of cancer survivors emphasize the real-life struggle to find wholeness and meaning in illness. Gattis’ work is a gift and an inspiration.

Your challenge with cancer…. This is an important event to consider because it is a crisis moment – a time where both danger and opportunity come together. You have begun looking at the fears, dreams, feeling, experiences and thoughts cancer has brought you, trying to gain some self-understanding through this experience, some reorganization of the your life and your thinking now that you are a cancer survivor. You were given dark nights. If not treated as growth they will destroy you. - Chapter 6
Paperback (Item #83820) $12.00

Paperback (Item #83822) $14.95
Release Date 09/08; Advance Orders Accepted Now

You will find real questions and direct answers from a passionate, engaging priest who wants nothing more than to share his love of the Faith in real life terms. Get to know what the Church teaches and why, and discover Father Joe's secret recipe for a happier, more fulfilling life. Paperback, 240 pages. (Item #88404) $14.95

“If I ever become a Saint—I will surely be one of “darkness.” I will continually be absent from Heaven—to lit the light of those in darkness on earth .”
—Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Hardcover (Item #86703) $22.95

Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline explores the classic "Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found.

Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration bring us nearer to one another and to God.

Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how these Disciplines can become part of our daily activities---and how they can help us shed our superficial habits and "bring the abundance of God into our lives." He offers crucial new insights, demonstrating how the biblical view of simplicity, properly understood and applied, brings joy and balance to our inward and outward lives and "sets us free to enjoy the provision of God as a gift that can be shared with others." Celebration, often the most neglected of the Disciplines, is revealed as critically important, for it stands at the heart of the way to Christ. Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.
Hardcover, 228 pages (Item #93657) $23.95

Managing people is difficult. With disengagement and turnover on the rise, many managers are scratching their heads wondering what to do. It's not that we don't dream of being great managers, it's just that we haven't found a practical and efficient way to do it. Until now.

The fictional company in this remarkable book is grappling with real problems of high turnover and low morale -- so the managers begin to investigate what really drives the employees. What they discover is that the key to motivation isn't necessarily the promise of a bigger paycheck or title, but rather the fulfillment of crucial personal dreams. They also learned that people at every level need to be offered specific kinds of help and encouragement -- or our dreams will forever remain just dreams as we grow dissatisfied with our lives and jobs.

Beginning with his important thought that a company can only become the-best-version-of-itself to the extent that its employees are becoming better-versions-of-themselves, Matthew Kelly explores the connection between the dreams we are chasing personally and the way we all engage at work. Tackling head-on the growing problem of employee disengagement, Kelly explores the dynamic collaboration that is unleashed when people work together to achieve company objectives and personal dreams.

The power of The Dream Manager is that simply becoming aware of the concept will change the way you manage and relate to people instantly and forever. What's your dream?
Hardcover, 158 pages (Item #93659) $19.95

Lewis reached a vast audience during his lifetime, and books such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters continue to be regarded as among the best spiritual writing of all time. With his uncanny grasp of human nature, Lewis offers a refreshing antidote to the modern world's consumerism and moral relativism. This new edition of his most celebrated books highlights Lewis's compassion for humanity and his relevance for the twenty-first century.
Paperback, 752 pages (Item #93656) $26.95

COMBINING EFFORTS — Father Marcus Holden, left, and Father Andrew Pinsent look over the text of their combined catechesis for adults. The two are from England and were ordained there in 2005. Father Pinsent is in residence at St. Ambrose Parish on the Hill while pursuing studies at St. Louis University.

Evangelium is a resource which enables all parishes to run courses for adults on the Catholic Faith. It offers an excellent grounding in the full panorama of Catholic beliefs. A modular resource, it follows the same division as the Catechism of the Catholic Church into Creed, Sacraments, Morals and Prayer.

Evangelium not only teaches about the Faith. It also gives a rich visual experience of the Faith by means of contemporary multimedia technology and over one hundred of the greatest works of art in Christian history.

Flexible and adaptable to the needs of your parish

■ evening courses or study days

■ short or long courses

principal uses

■ RCIA

■ refresher courses for adults

other uses

■ confirmation preparation

■ marriage preparation

■ youth catechesis

■ sixth-form students

■ self-instruction

Communicates Catholic teaching

■ content rigorously reviewed by leading theologians

■ cross-referenced fully to Scripture, the Catechism and the new Compendium of the Catechism

■ a sure and faithful presentation of the riches of the Catholic faith

Stimulating Presentations

■ beautiful religious art is the focus for each lesson

■ attractive, strongly visual slides

■ concise, precise wording

■ enlightening quotations from Scripture and saints

■ suggested further reading and activities for each module

■ Participant’s Book summarises the presentations, provides references and reinforces learning

Excellent support for the group leader

■ easy-to-use materials

■ clear and structured programme

■ tried and tested lessons

■ written by experienced catechists

■ references to additional resources and activities

■ easy-to-use software on CD-ROM

■ no additional software required
 

"We picked 25 key topics, with two sides (pages) per topic. It’s short, but with as much content as possible," said Father Pinsent. Both priests were ordained in their home dioceses in England in 2005.

The four major categories in the book — creed, sacraments, morals and prayer — follow the sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Father Pinsent said.

The two priests didn’t think anything more would come of their efforts at educating the Italian youth until Father Holden mentioned the project to the pastor of his parish in London. That pastor was a member of the editorial board of the eventual publisher, the Catholic Truth Society.

Fathers Holden and Pinsent worked on the book and CD-ROM for two years, and it was published in England last fall. There it is being used by 500 parishes in preparing people for entrance into the Church.

Already it’s been accepted for use for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. About 100 people in St. Ambrose Parish have purchased it through the parish for private use, Father Pinsent said. He added that the book and CD were now available through Catholic Supply of St. Louis Inc.

Among the topics covered are the meaning of life, salvation history, the Incarnation and life of Christ, the Trinity, Scripture and Tradition, the Blessed Mother, the Eucharist, marriage, the priesthood, prayer and the Mass and devotions, among others.

The use in a class setting incorporates the PowerPoint presentation found on the CD, which allows the students to view a dazzling assortment of Catholic artwork, mostly from the Renaissance, that the two priests chose to illustrate each faith concept.

"This way you get the full visual experience of it," Father Holden said.

They both said they strove for a balance in offering enough depth on each subject without overwhelming a newcomer to the Church with information. The priests also strove for a certain level of objectivity, to merely present the truth of the Catholic Church’s teaching without adding any commentary of their own.

That approach has earned them praise from both liberal and conservative Catholic media in their home country, they said.

"All we tried to do was present the material as clearly as possible," Father Pinsent said.

While the two agreed on the concepts, Father Holden said with a smile that "We fought a lot — but it was healthy fight" in choosing the manner in which their instructional effort would present those truths. He later described their collaboration as "intense discussions" on the way each subject could best be presented.

"We prayed before every (planning) session," Father Pinsent said. "It was a good lesson in teaching us objectivity. We had to sacrifice our own opinions."

Both are encouraged by their experience with youthful reception to their efforts after decades of seeing the parents of the current youth leave the faith.

"Unlike older generations, who were rebelling, this youngest one just hasn’t had someone explain to the faith to them," Father Holden said.

"It’s reliable in that it’s based only on Church teaching, and it’s concise for busy people," said Father Pinsent.

Father Joseph Johnson, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese, was impressed with its content. He said it has been used already by the Asian community and that the Hispanic community was looking to translate the book for its needs. His own parish will use it starting in the fall for adult faith formation classes, Father Johnson said.

"Its beauty is it’s very thorough but very concise and understandable. It uses the power of images, which people of all languages can connect to. Plus it uses masterpieces of art."

He noted the different sections can be used independently. "One of our parishes used the five sections on prayer for a course during Lent," he said.

Participant (Item #88985) $17.95
Presenter (Item #88986) $41.00
CD (Item #88987) $51.00

Bestselling author Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, has experienced the doubts that so often drive discussions about God and the Church. In the years before his conversion, he was first a nonbeliever and then an anti-Catholic clergyman. In REASONS TO BELIEVE, he explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith—drawing from Scripture, his own struggles and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather they offer complementary evidence that God exists. But He doesn't merely exist. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernible and knowable. Hahn leads readers to see that God created the universe with a purpose and a form—a form that can be found in the Book of Genesis and that is there when we view the natural world through a microscope, through a telescope, or through our contact lenses. At the heart of the book is Hahn's examination of the ten "keys to the kingdom"—the characteristics of the Church clearly evident in the Scriptures. As the story of creation discloses, the world is a house that has a Father, a palace where the king is really present. God created the cosmos to be a kingdom, and that kingdom is the universal Church, fully revealed by Jesus Christ. Hardcover, 196 pages. (Item #88651) $21.95

The Mundelein Psalter
by Douglas Martis, editor

At the center of this heroic life was a passionate twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade, a battle Wilberforce won in 1807, as well as efforts to abolish slavery itself in the British colonies, a victory achieved just three days before his death in 1833.

Metaxas discovers in this unsung hero a man of whom it can truly be said: he changed the world. Before Wilberforce, few thought slavery was wrong. After Wilberforce, most societies in the world came to see it as a great moral wrong.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade, HarperSanFrancisco and Bristol Bay Productions have joined together to commemorate the life of William Wilberforce with the feature-length film Amazing Grace and this companion biography, which provides a fuller account of the amazing life of this great man than can be captured on film.

This account of Wilberforce's life will help many become acquainted with an exceptional man who was a hero to Abraham Lincoln and an inspiration to the anti-slavery movement in America.  Hardcover (Item #*HP-9780061173004) $21.95

This work is a joint effort of McCloskey and Russell Shaw, the widely read Catholic author, speaker, and former communications director for the U.S. bishops. Drawing on moving, firsthand accounts of conversions, this book combines personal testimony, solid theology, and effective methods of communicating the Catholic Faith. 134 pages, Paperback (Item #81632) $12.95

Discover how Francis was first found by God and then joined by Clare despite the violent objections of her family. Explore a variety of issues that they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval society, corruption in the Church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will also learn how Clare's spirituality influenced that of other prominent women, how St. Francis lost control of his own movement, and why Francis's body was secretly buried upon his death.

The examples of early Franciscan spirituality challenge any of us who would follow Christ today. How would we view a young person today who rejected family for spiritual reasons? Is it possible for men and women to have deep friendship and remain true to a call to chastity? Is intentional poverty of any value? Have we sentimentalized family to the point of ignoring what Jesus taught his disciples on the subject?  204 pages. Paperback (Item #87440) $16.95

160 pages, Paperback (Item #88874) $16.95

Traces of God: 25th Anniversary Edition
by Diogenes Allen
(Item #91769) $14.00

An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order
by Nancy Klein Maguire, Nancy Klein Maguire

In 1960, five young men arrived at the imposing gates of Parkminster, the largest center of the most rigorous and ascetic monastic order in the Western world: the Carthusians. This is the story of their five-year journey into a society virtually unchanged in its behavior and lifestyle since its founding in 1084.

An Infinity of Little Hours is a uniquely intimate portrait of the customs and practices of a monastic order almost entirely unknown until now. After five years each man must face a choice: if they stay to make "solemn profession" they will never leave. But if they leave, they will be turning their backs on a journey to find God in solitude-their life's ambition. A remarkable investigative work, the book combines first-hand testimony with unique source material to describe the Carthusian life. And in the final chapter, describing a reunion forty years after the events described elsewhere in the book, Nancy Klein Maguire reveals which of the five made it to the top of the mountain. Paperback (Item #85027) $13.95

Divining the Body: Keys to Discovering Your Sacred Self
by Jan Phillips

Honor Your Body as the Instrument of Your Soul

This book is an attempt to undo the damage we've sustained living in a culture that thrives on our self-hatred. It is a sanctification of our human bodies, a consecration of ourselves as hosts to the Great Beloved. It is a journey of awe and reverence through the sacred terrain of foot and hand, back and breast, heart and brain. The path to peace is the pathway through ourselves, starting with the inward step, the brave, gentle step toward the Divine within.
-from the Introduction

Our view of the human body is always evolving. From the goddess-worship of civilizations millennia ago, to the strict social rules of Victorian England, to the modern feminist movement, the human body-particularly the feminine body-has always been a point of interest, mystery, and contention.

Discover an entirely new way to look at your body-as a pathway to the Divine. Award-winner Jan Phillips takes you on an energizing journey through your physical self, drawing connections between the bone, muscle, and sinew of your body and the spiritual teachings of various faith traditions, modern scientific research, and her own experiences. You will find yourself empowered to work to transform the world around you and overcome self-defeating thoughts through positive, practical exercises and meditations that show you how to climb back into your body and honor it as the temple of God that it is. Paperback (Item #85585) $16.99