Fall books for the intentional Catholic

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Fall is in full swing with winter fast approaching, and with the coronavirus pandemic still very present, many of our seasonal events may be replaced with more time indoors. But don’t let that get you down. Instead, take this opportunity to be intentional with your time and settle in with a spiritual book or two. From new releases addressing faith during times of crisis to finding inspiration from saints such as Thomas Becket and the Virgin Mary, this list doesn’t disappoint. Other books break down theology and philosophy for the average person, offer tips on how busy people can live an extraordinary life of faith, and provide prayers for adults and children alike. Don’t let this season pass you by without picking up one of these great reads.

Crisis bookFinding Christ in the Crisis: What the Pandemic Can Teach Us

Author: Father Harrison Ayre and Michael R. Heinlein
Publisher: OSV
Price: $1.95 (Kindle)
Summary: Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. Because of the suspension of public Masses and the disruption of parish life, it’s been particularly hard on people of faith. This short book helps shed light on what God might be saying to Catholics — and teaching them — through the lens of the pandemic. While restricted from the sacraments and distanced from pastoral leadership, as men and women of faith, the pandemic can be an opportunity to discover the heart of Catholic identity and become stronger as they weather the storm.
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History’s Queen: Exploring Mary’s Pivotal Role from Age to Age

Author: Mike Aquilina
Publisher: Ave Maria Press
Price: $16.95
Summary: Author Mike Aquilina brings the Virgin Mary’s central place in human history to life in “History’s Queen: Exploring Mary’s Pivotal Role from Age to Age.” Calling her the “Mother of all Humanity,” the author begins her story in the introduction, showing her at the center of Catholic tradition. Readers will meet the Mary of the Bible, from the Annunciation, to the infancy and childhood of Jesus, to the foot of the cross. The scope of the book broadens to consider a comparison of Mary and Eve, drawing on the works of the Doctors of the Church, including St. Irenaeus, who called Mary the “patroness of Eve.” Readers will journey through 2,000 years of world events influenced by the participation and intervention of the Blessed Mother, including the message of peace given to three small children at Fátima. Aquilina concludes the book with a look at the state of Christianity today and Mary’s importance to its future.
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Epic Saints: Wild, Wonderful and Weird Stories of Gods Heroes

Author: Shawn McAfee
Publisher: TAN Books
Price: $22.95
Summary: When you hear the word “saint,” do you think of quiet chapels, prayerful contemplation, and a life devoted to God? Or do you think disguises, dragons, and jokes? In his new book, author Shaun McAfee brings these two perspectives together, as he and his co-authors from Epic Pew tell the stories of saints from St. Arnold (three of them!) to St. Zoe. These saints are real people, blessed by God, who lived lives of virtue that included the miraculous and sometimes even the weird. You’ll read about the excessive modesty of St. Eugene de Mazenod, who, while simply escorting a young lady home, hid her in the bushes lest anyone think his chivalry was scandalous. And St. Philip Neri, who joked about his own death, whose disciples loved him so much they refused to leave even as he sent them away. The stories will make readers laugh and find a shared faith with these very human servants of God.
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Saint Michael the Archangel

Author: James F. Day
Publisher: OSV
Price: $14.95
Summary: “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. …” So begins the prayer to St. Michael, a “powerful exhortation to God’s fearless protector,” as author James F. Day describes the archangel to whom Catholics for millennia have turned in their darkest times. St. Michael’s mission from God is to do battle against Satan and all evil spirits. In this book, you’ll find an easy-to-read “biography” of the saint and a history of his mission on earth, from the time of the apostles to the 19th century devotion of Venerable Philomena to the ways Catholics call on his protection today. Included are prayers to St. Michael, quotations from the saints, and hymns and poems about him.
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Real Philosophy for Real People: Tools for Truthful Living

Author: Robert McTeigue, SJ
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Price: $17.95
Summary: If the study of philosophy seems a little daunting to most of us, Father Robert Teigue, Jesuit and professor, has written a book to help. While the author doesn’t shy away from calling on, and educating readers about, philosophers from Aristotle to John Mill Stuart, he tempers the chapters with anecdotes from his students and applications to everyday life. His foundation, of course, is the truth of the Faith and the counsel of the saints, and his goal is to show how the principles of Catholic philosophy can guide our decisions and bring meaning to a world filled with “fake” philosophy and uncertain morals. Dr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, who contributes the afterword to the book, calls it “an essential readable ‘tool kit’ to help today’s readers assess and critique the many competing philosophies” encountered in the culture today.
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A Catholic Survival Guide for Times of Emergency

Author: Deacon Nick Donnelly
Publisher: TAN Books
Price: $24.95
Summary: One lesson we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that life-changing crises can hit at any time. During national emergencies, families may not have access to the sacraments or a priest. Fortunately, there are traditional devotions, approved by the Church, that offer forgiveness and grace. “A Catholic Survival Guide for Times of Emergency” offers a background and prayers of perfect contrition and spiritual communion. Deacon Donnelly also explores the Ars Moriendi, the art of dying well, and shares devotions to St. Joseph, whose 150th anniversary decree of the title Protector of the Universal Church is Dec. 8. It offers guidance for individuals and family members to prepare for God’s judgment. And finally, it explores grief when a priest is not available.
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Hope. Always: Our Anchor in Life’s Storms

Author: Kris Frank
Publisher: Pauline Books and Media
Price: $16.95
Summary: Often waves of anxiety, doubt or suffering can make us feel hopeless. Author Kris Frank uses Scripture, stories of the saints and a personal testimony to help readers discover how they continually can find hope in Jesus. Of the three cardinal virtues, faith, hope and charity, hope is often the most difficult to define. In “Hope. Always,” Kris Frank reflects on how crucial hope is and how it can change our perspectives in life’s difficulties. He offers examples to demonstrate how hope can help any person, in any state of life, in any situation. Whenever one is anxious, grieving, discouraged or troubled, hope in God reveals a path forward, no matter how challenging it might be.
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Thy Kingdom Come: Living the Lord’s Prayer in Everyday Life

Author: Father Jeffrey Kirby
Publisher: TAN Books
Price: $16.95
Summary: We often take the words of the Lord’s Prayer for granted, missing their depth and breadth. Father Jeffrey Kirby explores the depths of this prayer, given to us by Our Lord after the apostles asked him how we should pray. In “Thy Kingdom Come,” Father Kirby covers the following topics: the seven distinct petitions we ask of God; calling God “our Father”; how fatherhood is a divine name and identity; why the beauty of heaven is a model for us on earth; how God’s name and his kingdom are interconnected; why we pray “this day” for our “daily” bread; why “as we” are the often most overlooked words of the prayer; and how God seeks to protect and deliver us from the evil one.
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Parish Priest, Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism

Author: Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster
Publisher: William Morrow
Price: $10.99
Summary: Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, was recently beatified by the Catholic Church. “Parish Priest,” by Douglas Brinkley and Julie Fenster, tells the fascinating story of Blessed Father McGivney, but also speaks of the rise of the Catholic Church in this country. As founder of the Knights of Columbus, his goal was to help countless voiceless families from the indignity of destitution. The Knights have grown to over 1.7 million men, but at his heart, Father McGivney was never anything more than a parish priest and regarded as a “positive saint” at his New Haven, Connecticut, parish. The book chronicles the process of canonization that may make Father McGivney the first American-born parish priest to be declared a saint by the Vatican.
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Prayer: The Breath of New Life

Author: Pope Francis
Publisher: OSV
Price: $18.95
Summary: In “Prayer: The Breath of New Life,” Pope Francis teaches that prayer is the “heartbeat of the Church” and our “yes” to an encounter with God and come to share more fully in his life. It is welcoming the Holy Spirit, who without ever growing weary pours out love and life upon all. Pope Francis imagines that personal and communal prayer is, for Christians, the heartbeat of the Church, which instills strength in the service of those who work, study and teach, which makes fruitful the knowledge of educated people and the humility of simple people. While we are not always aware of our breath, we never stop breathing, because this is the source of our physical life. Similarly, prayer is the source — the very breath — of our spiritual life.
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Complaints of the Saints: Stumbling Upon Holiness with a Crabby Mystic”

Author: Sister Mary Lea Hill, FSP
Publisher: Pauline Books and Media
Price: $14.95
Summary: If you think your habit of complaining will prevent you from becoming a saint, think again. In her latest book, Sister Mary Lea Hill shares witty anecdotes about the lives of the saints that teach us that they experienced the same emotions we do in the face of hardship. The book argues that complaining is simply a natural human reaction to life’s difficulties, which can be a means for drawing us closer to God. With each reflection only a couple pages long, the book is the perfect companion for a daily dose of relatable stories about the saints and encouragement that we, too, can follow in their footsteps. As one reviewer writes, “‘Complaints of the Saints’ is an excellent spiritual read for people who don’t think they have time for spiritual reading.”
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Busy GuideThe Busy Person’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life

Author: Deacon Greg Kandra
Publisher: Word Among Us Press
Price: $14.95
Summary: On the heels of his excellent 2019 book, “The Busy Person’s Guide to Prayer,” Deacon Greg Kandra, who runs the Church-news blog The Deacon’s Bench (thedeaconsbench.com) and is a regular columnist for OSV’s The Deacon magazine, broadens the subject matter in his latest effort by inviting readers to live with true joy and purpose. In “The Busy Person’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life,” Deacon Kandra pulls out the essential aspects of Scripture and Tradition to give readers a playbook on how to live their best lives. With writing that is full of warmth and humor, his recipe for an extraordinary life is simple: love God and serve your neighbor.
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The Spider Who Saved Christmas

Author: Raymond Arroyo
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press
Price: $17.95
Summary: While most readers will know Raymond Arroyo as the host of EWTN’s “The World Over,” his latest project isn’t his first children’s book; he’s written three installments of the successful “Will Wilder” mythological adventure series. In “The Spider Who Saved Christmas,” Arroyo writes about a more familiar adventure: the Holy Family’s journey from Bethlehem to Egypt in order to flee the persecution of King Herod. Confronted by the king’s soldiers, Joseph, Mary and Jesus find refuge in a cave occupied by Nephila, a spider who risks her and her children’s safety to help her holy guests. The tale, well-told by Arroyo and accompanied by artist Randy Gallegos’ beautiful illustrations, shares the origin of the tinsel we hang on our Christmas trees and is sure to be a favorite of children and adults alike.
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The Timeout Papers: Teaching Children to Learn and Grow from Their Mistakes

Author: Sally E. Follett
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press
Price: $14.95
Summary: For most busy parents (that is, all parents), finding and implementing effective, age-appropriate discipline can be one of the most frustrating aspects of raising children. So often, the attempts seem futile and just lead to more bad behavior (and more gray hairs for Mom and Dad). However, in “The Timeout Papers,” author Sally Follett offers a template — literally — for dealing with scores of common behavior problems, from hitting, to lying, to talking back, to complaining about going to church. Each page contains a passage that offers a lesson on the offensive act, a prayer for the person who was hurt and a relevant Scripture verse. For those who are old enough, Follett suggests having them copy the texts, and parents can read them to younger children. She calls the system “punishment without tears” that teaches valuable life lessons.
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The Kid’s Book of Prayers about All Sorts of Things

Author: Elizabeth Heller and David Heller
Publisher: Pauline Books and Media
Price: $14.95
Summary: As Catholic parents and grandparents, we pass along the prayers that we know and love — the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the St. Michael Prayer, the Memorare and so many others — hoping the children in our lives will learn them and pray them, too. But for many, it can be a struggle to find the words to bring our daily joys and struggles to God. In “The Kid’s Book of Prayers about All Sorts of Things,” Authors Elizabeth and David Heller have explored a wide variety of situations kids face and written dozens of prayers from a child’s perspective. Topics range from prayers of thanksgiving, everyday feelings, asking God for help, things that happen in our world and more. Reciting these prayers will help give kids the confidence to begin a prayerful relationship with God, with whom they’ll know they can talk about all sorts of things.
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Online with Saints

Author: Father Michel Remery
Publisher: OSV
Price: $24.95
Summary: In “Online with Saints,” Father Michel Remery invites readers to encounter the lives and lessons of the saints, not just in the pages of the book but also virtually through an app that connects to videos, prayers, quotes, stories of faith and more. While most books about saints tell the stories of their lives, “Online with Saints” relates the lives of the saints to the joys and challenges of the reader, as Father Remery links their stories to modern questions young readers are asking. The book is filled with the true stories of real people who strove for holiness in their everyday lives. As readers learn their stories, they might find that they, too, can live a life of holiness and virtue.
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The How-To Book of Catholic Theology: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You

Author: Father John P. Cush, STD
Publisher: OSV
Price: $18.95
Summary: If you’re interested in theology but have no idea where to start, this book just might be for you. As one reviewer says of the book, “Father Cush has achieved a marvel: a short, extremely friendly ‘how-to’ manual for the study of theology for any Catholic who believes in Jesus Christ and wants to know and love him more.” Father John Cush serves as an academic dean and formation advisor at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, but his conversational style makes theology approachable for anyone — seminarian or layperson, college student or adult learner. With chapters such as “Who Is a Theologian?”, “Why Are There So Many ‘Ologies’?” and “How Does the Study of Theology Lead to Holiness of Life?”, the book asks your questions for you and gives answers that are easily followed by action.
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saintsSaints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year

Author: Dawn Marie Beutner
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Price: $27.95
Summary: Pour yourself a cup of coffee and spend some time in prayer each morning by learning about the saint — or saints — of the day with this expansive collection by Dawn Marie Beutner. Often the universal call to holiness can feel lofty and unattainable, yet the lives of the saints tell us otherwise. “Saints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year” is a great way to get to know the Communion of Saints who came from every period of the Church and all walks of life. Each day offers at least two saints whose feasts are celebrated on that day, and each reflection ends with a brief prayer to these newly found friends. Additionally, the appendices offer a wealth of knowledge ranging from a calendar of Marian feast days to a glossary of Catholic terms.
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SexSpiritualLifeSex and the Spiritual Life: Reclaiming Integrity, Wholeness, and Intimacy

Editor: Patricia Cooney Hathaway
Publisher: Ave Maria Press
Price: $18.95
Summary: Are sexuality and spirituality opposed to each other? They don’t have to be. This new book edited by Patricia Cooney Hathaway shares the beauty of living with sexual integrity — a way of life that affirms the presence of God and the sacred in our sexual feelings and expressions. Pulling from the experiences of writers such as Timothy P. O’Malley, Deacon James Keating, Susan Muto, Eve Tushnet, Father John Riccardo and Sister Sarah Fairbanks, this groundbreaking book provides insights on what living with sexual integrity looks like for married and single people, clergy and religious, as well as the faithful living in the homosexual community. It also addresses how to heal from the wounds of sexual abuse and addiction, topics that are very relevant in our world today.
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Thomas Becket: Defender of the Church

Author: Father John S. Hogan
Publisher: OSV
Price: $24.95
Summary: Nine hundred years after the death of Thomas Becket, the struggle between secularism and the Catholic faith remains a reality. While we likely will not be called to die as a martyr for the Church, this enigmatic saint is one for our times. But who was he really? In this new biography, Father John S. Hogan invites us to consider Becket’s background, his influences, his progress in ambition and office, and his personal struggle for holiness. While much of his life was spent as a servant of success and of the king, he ultimately was a servant of Christ — something we should all strive to be.
 

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