This month, the Catholic Writers’ Guild is touring Guildie Cynthia Toney’s book, “10 Steps to Girlfriend Status (Bird Face book two)“ It is a SOA winner. Teaser: When Wendy questions her neighbor about one 1960s photograph, she opens the door to triple trouble—a Cajun family secret, feelings for two very different […]
Weak Tea, by Janice Lane Palko
In February 2015, my daughter surprised us by announcing that she was in her second trimester of pregnancy. After experiencing three miscarriages in 14 months, we were overjoyed. Our prayers for a baby, it appeared, would be answered. Plans were soon hatched for a baby shower. This would be the […]
Ornamental Graces, by Carolyn Astfalk
If you enjoy emotional rollercoasters, Ornamental Graces by Carolyn Astfalk is your book. Among the author’s many gifts is her ability to conjure up fictional characters in many shades of human decency. Imagine, if you will, Dan Malone. He has let himself go; his business teeters on the brink of […]
Feast of Pontius Pilate, by E. Ann McIntyre
Who would have thought that any of the Gospel villains would merit a feast on the liturgical calendar or have churches erected in their memory? Believe it or not, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia to be saints. A clear case for Claudia begins […]
Into the Way of Peace, by Karen Kelly Boyce
Into the Way of Peace blends the mystical with the mysterious. While a blizzard swirls around an inner city church, a desperate few pass within. Some seek shelter from the storm. Others desire consolation because of life’s overwhelming burdens. One young man hopes to escape a police manhunt. Fr. D’Angelico […]
Why Mercy Makes Us Uncomfortable
In his second Encyclical, Dives in Misericordia…Saint John Paul II highlighted the fact that we had forgotten the theme of mercy in today’s cultural milieu: “The present day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to […]
Saved by the Mercy of a Stranger
We cannot escape the Lord’s words to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we are judged: whether we have fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison […]
Life-Changing Love, by Theresa Linden
Theresa Linden weaves three story lines throughout this second volume of her West Brothers trilogy. At the conclusion of volume one—Roland West, Loner—Roland finds a measure of happiness with his new friends, especially Caitlyn. He and she enjoy hanging out without the pressures of a “relationship.” When Roland tells Caitlyn […]
Giving What Is Holy To Dogs
The Spouse of Christ must pattern her behaviour after the Son of God who went out to everyone without exception. Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, par. 12 Sitting in our gloriously sunny, tranquil parish adoration chapel, I had just finished underlining a very beautiful section of Deus Caritas Est (God Is […]
Lazarus of Bethany: A Novel, By E. Ann McIntyre
Fictionalized representations of biblical characters often miss the mark. Nevertheless, the Bible serves as a vast treasury of plots and characters, including intriguing hints of narratives read between the lines. One of the most fascinating but little-known characters in the New Testament is Lazarus of Bethany—The Friend of the Lord. […]