Many lose sight of Advent amid the Thanksgiving-Black Friday-anticipated Christmas-commercial season. How can Advent hold its ground against this materialistic intrusion? Some regard Advent as “Little Lent.” After all, at least where I live it wears the hand-me-down purples of the penitential weeks between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. […]
Grace in the Wilderness: Reflections on God’s Sustaining Word along Life’s Journey, by Brother Francis de Sales Wagner, O.S.B.
Brother Francis de Sales offers his readers a source of joy, leading them into the desert where they feast on the reality of God. The Liturgical New Year will soon dawn, a time for new beginnings, not only with reflections on the saints of the day, but the profound messages […]
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (14), by Alexander McCall Smith
For those who have never read any of the previous episodes of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, this is a wonderful place to start, I would think, because episode 14 reviews so much of the past. Otherwise, the faithful followers of Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi will enjoy […]
Classroom Management for Catechists, by Jennifer Fitz
Jennifer Fitz has incorporated the fruits of her experience, energy, research and organizational skills within a compact, accessible and effective guide. It enables and encourages teachers and students to look forward with joy to each religious education experience. Fitz reminds catechists: 1) “This is the most important subject your students […]
A Man of Good Zeal: A Novel Based on the Life of Saint Francis de Sales, by John E. Beahn
Saint Francis de Sales, aristocrat, swordsman, lawyer, author, priest, bishop, loving evangelist, Doctor of the Church and inspiration to millions–his life and message remain particularly relevant in today’s world where discord and violence run rampant, often in the name of religion. Beahn’s novel considers the life of Francis from the […]
Fools, Liars, Cheaters, and Other Bible Heroes, by Barbara Hosbach
Barbara Hosbach invites the reader to come away to a place of quiet refreshment in the company of often overlooked biblical heroes. Taken as a whole, Fools, Liars, Cheaters, and Other Bible Heroes, outlines a self-directed retreat or a series of twenty-eight daily meditations. The author sets the stage […]
Bilbo’s Journey: discovering the hidden meaning of the hobbit, by Joseph Pearce
Pearce and Tolkien believed that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were fundamentally religious and Catholic works. Apparently critics had either missed or resented this interpretation. Pearce paraphrased Tolkien in suggesting that the real reason for critical prejudice against Tolkien’s and similar works had grown out of a […]
Greater Treasures, by Karina Fabian
From the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty the words of Emma Lazarus proclaim: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Despite […]
The DNA Connection: Tannenhauser’s Theory, by Joan L. Kelly
High schools and school systems that promote curriculum integration must consider Joan L. Kelly’s The DNA Connection: Tannenhauser’s Theory. The author has stirred genetics, technology, high-powered research, American history, art, social justice and ethics into the flow of this “timely” action-adventure thriller. A quick look at the book cover disclosed […]
The Chronicles of Xan III: The Fire of Eden (OakTara Publishers, 2013) by Antony Barone Kolenc
For better or worse, others have imposed major decisions and their consequences on the lives of children. Nevertheless, even young people have made decisions that affected the rest of their lives. In Chronicles of Xan III: The Fire of Eden like Adam and Eve, most of the characters in this […]