Cozy wraps and cozy mysteries as we move towards fall...

Happy Friday everyone, it's hard to believe that it's the end of August, but here we are. I wish I could say that I felt like September will be better, but I don't think that it will, and all we can do at this point is keep up our spirits and sense of humor about it! :-0 The semester starts at the university for which I work on Monday, but all of my classes will be totally online. I'm actually rather sad about it, but it is what it is. I miss my colleagues so much, and I'll miss the students. At least I'll be home (working, but still home) if the kids need to be home from school. We'll try focusing on the positives!

I've definitely been working on lots of happy distractions lately, and I hope you have as well! My autumn quilted bird bag from Bradford Exchange arrived this week, and looking at it immediately lifts my spirits:

Just look at those cute blue jay crests!

And, as ever, I've been crafting. This week, I finished a wrap for my good friend Emily, and this pattern is just super cozy!

Pattern is Perfect Pockets Shawl

Unfortunately, it's been so humid that I was sweltering when I took this photo :-0 but soon it'll be time for cozy wraps, and now Emily will be all set! If you crochet, even if you're a beginner, you'll be able to make this wrap! YouTube is our friend, and I had to watch a video on the wrapped stitch that appears in this pattern, but after that I was good to go. :)

I'm also back to my cozy mysteries, and becoming absorbed in the universe of the Amish Candy Shop series by Amanda Flower is exactly what the doctor ordered right about now. There are a number of books in the series, and my current position is with this Mother's Day themed installment:

After this is the very newest book, "Marshmallow Malice," so let the candy shop antics reign on! 

This week I was also chatting with my friend Irena, who mentioned this book:

...which immediately went onto my Amazon wish list for Christmas, hee hee. Book recommendations always stimulate my mind and creativity! Do you have any new books that you've read recently, or that are in your queue, to add to our list? Pop them into the comments! :-)

New books and new inspiration...

Hello friends, and I hope that you are well! We wrapped up Anne's school year this week, much to the relief of the entire family. :-0 I'm praying that the kids are back in school in the fall, and it looks like they are planning to make that the case. She needs a school environment in order to thrive, that definitely became clear during the past 3 months! So we now have two and a half months just to take it easy and not fret about school work, and that definitely feels good. Both of the kids are registered to go back to their Catholic schools in September, and we're just hoping that all goes smoothly!

I've been amusing myself by taking an introductory ballet class, and you can see my fancy setup here:

:-0

It's all very low tech in the dance studio of the Catholic Librarian, but we make do where we can! I'm really enjoying taking a dance form at which I'm a total beginner. Technically, I studied ballet when I was a child, but that was so long ago that it's essentially like starting over. Our session is being extended by another 4 weeks, so I'll be happily plie-ing in our guest room all through July. I've also been doing a lot of belly dance, but that's par for the course! There are certain commonalities between the 2 types of dance (posture, arms, long and graceful lines, strong feet, and connection with the floor) that I'm enjoying honing in ballet so that I can apply it to my belly dancing. I'm feeling quite inspired by it all!

In other news, my Word on Fire version of the Gospels arrived this week!

I'm loving it, and apparently these are nearly all sold out until the fall already! I'm hoping I don't regret not getting one of the sturdier covers (I went with paperback), but I absolutely love it. There are a few paperback copies left to purchase as of when I'm writing this, and I will say this particular paperback is much thicker and sturdier than usual! I just started reading the opening commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, and so far, I'm intrigued. :-)

I also made a purchase I can't believe I didn't already have:

I mean...this is perfect for me, right? How did I not already own this? :-0 The Catholic All Year Compendium has suggestions for liturgical home living for the entire year. My sister mentioned populating her new academic planner with the designated "meat Fridays" (that fall on solemnities) for the year, and I was instantly interested. We don't abstain from meat on Fridays outside of Lent, but when have you ever known your Catholic Librarian to shy away from a challenge? ;-)  Lots of good stuff in here, I'm excited to get started!

Do you have any new books or new inspiration this week? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

A wintertime hygge reading list...

Hello all, and I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! (or just a nice week, if the holiday does not apply to your geographic location ;-)). Getting back into my routine coming off of the week-long vacation, I was feeling a bit melancholy on Monday morning, and setting up a strict to-do list for myself to keep on task. One of the things that I needed to do was write my monthly piece for Catholic Mom, and as would be expected given my sunken spirits, I was having a difficult time coming up with an idea for a topic.

🤔

So, yes, I had to think on it for a few days. 😁By Wednesday, I was *really* up against the deadline for the next day, and so inspiration was truly needed at that point.

😬

That day, my team at work (those of us who are primarily teaching librarians) was putting together a few baskets for the annual auction to benefit a university-wide charitable effort. One of them had a "warm and cozy theme" and included things like fuzzy slippers, tea, big campfire mugs, and a copy of a book on hygge. Inspiration struck!

😎

I'm familiar with the Danish concept of hygge from reading a memoir last year (recommended by my colleague who came up with the hygge basket idea!) and I absolutely loved it. That memoir is this one:

Hygge is the idea of enjoying cozy indoor time, spending time with the people you love. There are a lot of other ideas that go into this overall philosophy of happiness, including having an inviting living space and enjoying good food and drinks, but essentially it focuses on ways to thrive while being mostly indoors for the long winter months. And in Denmark, as you can imagine given it's location near the Arctic Circle, has a very long winter with significantly reduced sunlight. Yet, they are rated as the happiest country in the world! Intriguing, yes? I had been thinking about writing my Catholic Mom piece with a winter theme, and knew that a hygge tie-in would be perfect.

So, that's what I did, including a spiritual angle with a winter rosary connection, yay, and that piece will be published next week (I'll link it in the comments when it is live :)). In the meantime, I thought it would be pleasant to include a little hygge reading list here on the blog. I haven't done that in awhile! And the librarian loves her readers advisory, it must be said.

The book that was in our basket is this one:

Popped that right onto my Amazon wish list. I mean, look at that cover imagery. Makes me want to dive right onto my couch in my fleecy robe and slippers! As well as this one:

The cover art on this book also makes my heart so happy. Those blues, alpine green, snowy white, and the brown from the log cabin. In fact, looking at this picture gives me an idea for a blanket that I could make for one of our bedrooms! A hygge themed blanket. This stuff makes me so happy! 🤗

This book was also recommended quite a bit as I navigated my way through this happy rabbit hole:

As I read some articles online about hygge, this was the book I saw discussed the most, interestingly. I kinda want all three. Hoping for some Amazon love this Christmas, for sure. 😁 I've already set up a project page on Ravelry for the hygge blanket, ha! I don't even have the yarn for it yet. WHAT AN OUTSTANDING PROBLEM TO HAVE! 😃

This reading lists barely brushes the surface, but I think it gives us a nice place to start! Have you read any books on hygge or Denmark? Leave them in the comments to continue on with our list!

Lenten Book Club 2019 Week 4 - Hope, love & Molly Weasley...

Happy third week of Lent, everybody, and welcome back to this year's installment of the Lenten Book Club! This year we are reading The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart, and I hope you're enjoying the book as much as I am. :-)

Our 3 chapters this week focused on:

1. Marital intimacy
2. Living like Molly Weasley
3. Hope in today's world

It's our last week for this book club, and I can hardly believe it! Let's dive in!

So the first of our three chapters for this week dealt with Natural Family Planning, openness to life and intimacy within marriage, and I have to admit I wasn't expecting this topic to be covered in this book, for whatever reason. It makes sense in terms of the book's overall theme of eschewing the throwaway culture, but I was thinking all of the chapters would concern relationships within society rather than personal relationships, does that even make sense, lol?! It totally fits, I was just surprised to happen upon it. This is a topic that I am well versed in, and first learned about in my young adult years (which was some time ago ;-)), so it's old hat to me, but I know for a lot of people this is a surprising realization about our Catholic faith. I think it's important to note, as Haley does, that this particular lifestyle does not necessarily translate to having a lot of children in your family, although sometimes it does. Being open to life looks different and has different results for every individual couple, it's the outlook and the practice that are the key. It's certainly something that can be a conversation starter if somebody finds this out about you, as I well know :0, and expressed in a knowledgeable and compassionate manner, can be a true tool of learning and love for all.

I'm sure you will not be surprised to learn that I loved the Molly Weasley chapter, hee! Since reading/watching the Harry Potter series a few years ago, I have felt close to the characters, and Ron's adorable family always struck me as Catholic. ;-) Well, it seems to me that all of the main characters embody Catholic values, the Weasleys are just easiest to pinpoint. I very much enjoyed Haley's discussion of Molly, the harried nature of her life with her big family and other responsibilities that she takes on in service to others, yet she always is so friendly. And her motto is to keep things simple - despite how much she has going on, she does not seek fancy solutions to everyday problems. I found this chapter very charming.

To wrap things up, Haley addresses hope. It's easy to get down about the dark things that happen in our world, and the attitudes that we see around us. But our faith has a foundation in hope of a new tomorrow, and we must cling to that. Everyday we can aim for joy in our vocations and in the situations that we find ourselves in. And when the challenging ones arise, we always have hope that God will bring out the good in everything.

What did you think of the final 3 chapters in the book?

This read-along just flew by, didn't it?! We still have several weeks left in Lent, and this gives us time to prepare for Holy Week and Easter. I'll be back next week with a lifey post, and in the meantime, I'd love to hear from you! 

Lenten Book Club 2019 Week 3 - Hospitality, community and whether or not the Internet is our friend...

Happy second week of Lent, everybody, and welcome back to this year's installment of the Lenten Book Club! This year we are reading The Grace of Enough by Haley Stewart, and I hope you're enjoying the book as much as I am. :-)

Our 3 chapters this week focused on:

1. Hospitality
2. The importance of Community
3. Internet - friend or foe?
   

I mentioned last week that a few of the chapters we're covering this week would be tougher ones for introverts to tackle. ;-) And it's true, right? Reaching out to people, TALKING to them, making conversation and invitations, is difficult when you are a bit socially awkward, as introverts are prone to be. But it's to our benefit, as well as the person we're reaching out to, for us to challenge ourselves in this way and go outside of our comfort zone.

I love how Haley mentions that we should not stress about having our house be perfectly clean before we'll have anybody over to share a meal or fellowship. I try very hard to follow this advice, because I longed for this approach so much when I was growing up. I completely understand the insecurity about the state of one's home prior to visitors, I truly do! But we miss out on so much enjoyable time with our family and friends if we let this hold us back. Have your friends over for tea, even if there are toys on the floor and the bathroom hasn't been cleaned!

Obviously, this ties right in to how much we need community around us, even if we are introverts. Haley makes an excellent point about how people don't sit out on their porches as much anymore, and it's funny because we DO do this, and it's for the exact reason she mentions - we do not have central air conditioning! Living where we do in WNY, we literally do not see our neighbors from after Halloween until May. And our neighbors are very nice! When Anne started going outside to play with their dog I fretted about her bothering them and then me having to go out there to make small talk. But you know what? It's great. We've had great conversations about Catholic high schools in the area and other neighborhood news. Last year, while we were out there talking, a woman and her grandson came walking along with him in his stroller, and he requested a stop to also pet the dog. She lives a few blocks over, and we had a *wonderful* conversation with her. She cared for her grandson quite a bit, and it was obvious that she was extremely happy to have found a bit of adult conversation and entertainment for both of them out in the fresh air. The kids were taking turns throwing the ball for the dog to fetch as I reflected on what a lovely and unexpected interlude this had been. This summer, I am resolving that we will continue to be more neighborly.

The Internet chapter was pretty much exactly as I expected, and it's information that I definitely needed to hear. Online community can be a beautiful thing, especially for people who are more housebound based on their state of life or physical needs. And it can be a beautiful source of friendship and fellowship for all of us. But it doesn't take the place of communicating with people who are right in front of you. We shouldn't become so absorbed into our screens that we neglect actual conversation and experiences in real time.

I got a lot out of these chapters. Next week, we're somehow already wrapping up our Lenten Book Club and discussing the final 3 chapters! Looks like we'll be addressing intimacy, living out the Gospel in our world, and choosing hope. I'll see you then, but in the meantime, leave your thoughts in the comments!

Lenten Book Club 2019 - official schedule!

Hi all! We're exactly a week out from Ash Wednesday, and as usual, the Catholic Nerd is all excited! :-0 I have a prayer plan in place, devotionals are all ordered, and so it's time to solidify our Lenten Book Club for 2019. This year we're going to be reading The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture, by Haley Stewart.

I'm *very* excited about embarking on this reading journey along with all of you! This book was recommended to me by my sister, who loved it, and told me that she devoured it quite quickly because she was so into it. Therefore, what I'm thinking is that we will start reading this weekend, have our first post next week just as Lent is beginning, and wrap up prior to the season finishing, I figure that we might as well ride the wave of a quick and interesting read, and give ourselves a few weeks at the end of Lent to focus on Holy Week and preparation for that. And there are only 12 chapters, 192 total print pages, so this definitely shouldn't take us long to get through.

Thus, my proposed schedule would essentially just commit us for the month of March, and looks like this:

Thurs. 3/7 - Introduction and Chapters 1-3
Thurs. 3/14 - Chapters 4-6
Thurs. 3/21 - Chapters 7-9
Thurs. 3/28 - Chapters 10-12 and Conclusion

This would leave us with a week afterward to prepare for Holy Week, and then Holy Week itself. I'll plan special posts for those weeks after the book club wraps up. 🤗

What do you all think? Are you all as excited as I am?! Let's get our copies secured (mine is already on my Kindle!) and get reading this weekend! We'll chat on the Thursday following Ash Wednesday. If you're going to be participating, please let us know in the comments!

My book is actually IN PRINT!

I had planned a craft post for this week, and I *promise* that we'll do that next week, because there is lots of excitement in my crafting world right now. :0 However, my little mind was all diverted this week by book stuff. LOOKY WHAT CAME LAST NIGHT:

😍

It's all a little surreal that I have a book that actually exists in real life 😂. I'm so excited to dive into these and use them for scripture study and journaling! That might make a good Advent and Lent project? Thoughts? I definitely want to do this with Deanna's and Allison's books, but I'm curious as to whether or not I'd be able to re-read my own like this, ha! While I was working on this book, every morning before I jumped into writing I would pray to the Holy Spirit to have it be His words and not mine, so maybe? I'll be curious to see. ;-)

Importantly, these are now available to order on Amazon. This means a couple of important things: for one, you can now get them with your Prime shipping if you are a member. Also, you can see interior previews of all 3 books, which I LOVE to do before adding things to my cart! For my book, you can now see the entire Introduction!

*streamers*

Finally, you can *add reviews once you've read the books* which we would so gratefully appreciate! Even if you did not purchase the book from Amazon (but ordered via the publisher, Gracewatch Media, or in the Indiegogo pre-order campaign) you can still leave a review on Amazon. This helps other readers to discover these books while they are searching and browsing for related titles. This is so crucial to the success of the series! Allison is hoping to add 3 more books to the series next year, and growing these initial 3 titles is a huge part of that.

Another tidbit: you *can* order via the publisher, Gracewatch Media, and the books are actually cheaper there. They retail for $15, are marked down to $14, and by using the code GRACE15, you will receive 15% off. This makes the books $11.90 each, and Gracewatch offers free shipping on orders of $10 and up. The disadvantage is that the shipping is not 2-day like Amazon Prime, but if you are not a Prime member, or you are not in a rush, you may be interested in this route. :)

These journals would make excellent holiday gifts, for sure. They're personal and relatable, and just lovely and inspiring to page through. I am so excited to be a part of this project, and I hope that you'll share in the excitement with me!

🎉

Is anybody interested in using one of these during Advent and making a book club for it? Would love to hear from you!

Summer Book Club 2018 - Spotlight on Catholic apologetics, Part II...

This summer is really flying by, yes? Hard to believe, but it's our final installment in the 2018 Summer Book Club! This summer, we've been discussing Kevin Lowry's How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, and last week we chatted about how how we all enjoyed his conversion story. Let's pick up where we left off!

So the second part of the book changes course, and Kevin then moves into a discussion of 8 "things" that were obstacles he had to overcome prior to becoming Catholic. I've seen discussions like this in many other conversion memoirs that I've read, and as a cradle Catholic who grew up in the Northeast, they have always been a source of fascination for me. Beliefs that I just took for granted (i.e. a devotion to Mary, that getting to heaven involves more than faith alone) were a huge source of controversy to others, and I had no idea until I was an adult!

It's been awhile since I read a conversion story like this, so I was interested to see Kevin's list as well. It included:

(1) The Eucharist
(2) Confession
(3) The Mystical Body of Christ
(4) Mary
(5) Faith vs. Works
(6) Authority
(7) The Church's Imperfections
(8) Himself

No big surprises there. :) These are all things that are very different for non-Catholics coming from a Protestant background, and these individuals may have some biases worked up against the Catholic belief system on these issues. He touches upon this in #8. I think he also makes an excellent point about #7, which in our modern times is an increasing tragedy for all involved. 

Numbers 1 through 6 I have read about in just about every other conversion story I've encountered, so they are certainly poignant items for those looking into the Church. This is an educational list, to be sure, and his discussion is on point. I do feel like the discussion was a bit abbreviated in this section, as compared to other books like this that I have read. Beth Anne mentioned this issue last week as well, with regards to the latter part of his conversion story in part I, that suddenly we went from a more detailed-driven narrative, to it being more cursory. This discussion felt more cursory to me than its' peers in this genre. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Since I have in fact read a lot of conversion stories, I have explored extensively on all of these issues, but if this is the first book of this type that a person has picked up, they would likely be left wanting a lot more information about these doctrines. The amount of information provided here is not necessarily convincing, I don't think, as to why the author converted to Catholicism. Obviously, he did a lot more research that he simply chose not to include here, and he may have been going for a shorter book that is easier to read. I get it.

Those are my impressions of the second half of the book! What were yours? I'd love to hear them!

Thank you so much, friends, for spending July reading along with me on the topic of apologetics! Our next book club will be for Advent, and sometime in the late fall I'll post a list for us to vote from. That'll be super fun, won't it?! 😃

Summer Book Club 2018 - Spotlight on Catholic apologetics, Part I...

Here we are, at last ready for the entire first part of our Summer Book Club, as we read How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, by Kevin Lowry! We had an introduction to the book last week, but I *finally* procured my library ebook copy. I actually read this book in a few days, so I returned my library copy such that the next person on the waiting list could have it.

*halo*

So, what are we waiting for? Let's dive in!

The author divided up his story into 2 parts, with this first one being devoted to background information on his life, and his conversion story. I truly loved his story. Memoirs have always fascinated me - we all have a story to tell, and they are all compelling! Of course, they have to be told in a way that holds our attention, and Kevin does that beautifully with his funny and endearing narrative.

By his own description, he was a somewhat rebellious teenager who did not take the deeply ingrained Presbyterian faith of his parents very seriously. Nor does he take his college education very seriously, at least at first. His father is the one who suggests the Franciscan University of Steubenville, interestingly, and encourages him to attend there. While they are there touring the campus, Kevin sneaks away with his fake i.d. to procure beer and generally act in ways that teenagers do that make us cringe. These are things that we all either did, or thought were cool, at the exact same age, but now make us flare our nostrils and talk about how youth is wasted on the young. One thing I was confused about that the author does not clarify is why he starting attending college at age 16? Maybe he was homeschooled?

So he gets accepted, but his immaturity and general lack of wisdom (which we are all afflicted with at this stage of our lives; such painful memories! :0) cause him to make poor choices. He doesn't do his school work and gets very poor grades. He drinks a lot of beer and has a frightening experience in which he has no memory of an entire night. He does not attend church and his spiritual life is totally adrift. He flunks out of Franciscan University.

While he was there, he DOES meet very nice students, and many of his experiences cause him to wonder what it is about their Catholic faith that draws them to it. One morning after Sunday morning Mass lets out, he finally approaches the chapel, but does not go in. He feels an unmistakable peace, and is confused about it. He still thinks that Catholics are a bit odd and does not pursue it at this point, but I related very much to his story at this juncture. I felt that peace outside of a Catholic college chapel too, right before my reversion of heart back to the faith, while I was law school in my twenties.

So he goes to work back home in Toronto and matures a bit. Eventually, he wants to return to college, but finds that his nearly nonexistent grade point average is going to make this very difficult for him. He realizes that returning to Franciscan is truly his best shot at ever getting a college degree, and he pleads his case. They allow him to return under strict academic conditions, and he works very hard to meet them. He does so, and also meets a woman who will become his wife, Kathi. She too is not Catholic.

Ultimately, they graduate, marry and start a family together. They seek out a spiritual home, and Kevin begins to be bothered by how difficult this is, and how different each of the churches is. He eventually contact Scott Hahn for a chat, and Dr. Hahn gives him a rosary to pray. This is the beginning of the end of Kevin being a non-Catholic. :0

I was expecting that he would take Dr. Hahn's classes at Steubenville, and that this was partly what led to his conversion, but that isn't what happened from what I can glean. Although his heart softened towards Catholics during his time at Franciscan University, and he became intrigued by the fervor he saw in his Catholic classmates, all of the research he did that ultimately led to his conversion happened AFTER he graduated. Scott Hahn became his sponsor when he was baptized and confirmed into the faith. We knew that Kathi also decided to come into the Church with Kevin, but we also find out that Kevin's parents too become Catholic at a later time! So, obviously his dad had a soft spot for the Church all along.

I enjoy conversion stories, and this one is no exception. I found the story poignant and touching, and I laughed out loud in places. It was a joy to read. What were your thoughts on this part of the book?

Next week we will move into the main obstacles Kevin faced as a Presbyterian contemplating the Catholic Church, and how he overcame them. Join us again then!

Summer Book Club 2018 - How God Hauled Me Kicking & Screaming into the Catholic Church, Introduction...

OK, so remember that saga of me acquiring our book, How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, from the public library in ebook form that I detailed a few weeks back? Right. Well, the saga continues. 😂But I have a plan and am still able to start our book club! Pull up a comfy chair with your morning beverage.

So, I have been incensed patiently waiting my turn in the queue for the ebook copy of our book. Let the record reflect that I not only originally requested that the library purchase this book, but that I added myself to the ridiculous waiting list on June 28th. I was at that time #2 in the queue. JUNE 28TH.

It is now July 18th as I write this, and I still.do.not.have.the.book. This is a real problem with ebooks in public libraries, imo. People do not necessarily "return" the book when they're done reading it the way they do with print books. So the loan period is always reaching it's max before the next person in line can have the book. Granted, the loan period is shorter with ebooks than it is for print, but the waiting lists for ebooks is absolutely absurd. You can wait *months* for popular titles, and it is not nearly that bad with their print counterparts.

Anyway, enough complaining about that. Just under 2 weeks ago, I moved to #1 in the queue. The maximum borrowing period for an ebook is 14 days. So, by mathematical certainly, I will have the book Friday. (**edited to add that on July 19th, I now have the book! *streamers!*)

In the meantime, I was able to score a preview of the book that allowed me to read the foreword, Introduction,  chapter 1, and part of chapter 2. My thought is that this will serve as the introductory post to our book club, and then next week we'll discuss the remainder of Part 1, and then Part 2 on August 2nd. I know that I could just purchase the ebook and have immediate access to it. But at this point, it's an official Point of Pride that I await the library copy. :0 All right, ready to discuss the concept and beginning of this book?

🎉

I noted right off the bat that the foreword was written by Scott Hahn, a Catholic apologist whose conversion story I'm very familiar with. He and his wife's book, Rome Sweet Home, was a huge influence in my own faith walk in my twenties. Let's have a quick moment with definitions, shall we? Apologetics:

reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine

So, when we speak of Catholic apologetics, and Catholic apologists, we are speaking of men and women who dedicate time to defending our faith in an academic sense. Such work can be very instrumental in drawing others to the Church.

We learn quickly that like Dr. Hahn, our author, Kevin Lowry, is a former Presbyterian.  Growing up in the haven of cradle, cultural, Catholicism that I did, I was very unfamiliar with Protestant denominations growing up. As a young adult, one of my fascinations with reading conversion stories was learning about the faith background of others that differed from my own. In all cases, the authors were grateful for their Protestant upbringing and had nothing but respect for the Christian values that it instilled. Which is is as it should be, and very pleasing to my empathetic heart.

As we move into the Introduction, our author emphasizes to us how unexpected his conversion was, and how conversion should, in a sense, be a daily occurrence, even for cradle Catholics.We should not become stagnant in our faith, and take it for granted. Regular conversion of heart is key to our spiritual sustenance.

I love the way that he starts chapter 1, with an overview of a crucial moment in time: his baptism at age 25. He had not previously been baptized in the Presbyterian church, so this sacrament was also his initiation into the Catholic faith. We find out that his parents are devout Presbyterians, his father a minister, but they support his decision to convert. We also find out that his wife is being received into the Church alongside him, but he was unsure as to whether or not she would decide to do this until the very last minute.

He recalls that when he first started attending Mass, the community seemed "cold" to him, and I understand what he means in that the culture in Catholic parishes is very different from what I hear others relate about their churches. Catholicism oftentimes is deeply ingrained into a community's culture, and it can become insular. It's not ill intended, but I think that for someone who is new or visiting the community, it can feel off-putting, especially if they are used to a church with greeters and tons of small group fellowship opportunities.

After this exciting whirlwind of thoughts, the author then moves into story of how he came to this crucial event. Chapter 2 begins with the author describing himself as a cocky teenager who did not take to heart the deep Christian faith of his parents. He grew up in Toronto (hey neighbor!), and as he began to explore colleges in late high school, his father suggests the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Dun dun DUN!

This is obviously where he met Dr. Hahn (who has taught theology there for many years), and heralds the beginning of his interest in Catholicism, one would think. And did his father know that the vibrant faith alive at this campus would dramatically impact his son, even if it was not within Presbyterianism? But this is also where my sample ended, so I'm on pins and needles waiting for my turn with the ebook. :0

The waiting list for the ebook at my public library now has 4 people on it, I'll have you know. I like to think that my purchase request was it's own little form of apologetics. ;-)

What were your thoughts on the very beginning of this conversion story? Has formal apologetics had an impact on your own faith journey? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. We'll fully discuss Part 1 next Thursday on July 26th!

Live Today Well, an introduction...

Yay, I'm here! Yesterday decidedly did NOT go as planned, and my blogging time slipped through my fingers like so many grains of sand. Today was better, though still a bit crazy, and that will be the reason that this post will go out much later than usual. Alas.

Today though I wanted to talk about our plans for Live Today Well: St. Francis de Sales's Simple Approach to Holiness. We had talked about making this an Ordinary Time project, and I made a graphic and got all fancy. ;-)

My book came, I excitedly stroked it, checked out the Table of Contents, flipped through it, and did all the happy things I usually do with new books. And I realized that this will take us longer to read than just during this winter Ordinary Time stretch leading up to Lent. We had also talked about doing a separate Lent read-along of a totally different book during that liturgical season. My plan is to read To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela, as my favorite podcaster Fr. Roderick is going to be walking this very pilgrimage this spring. So, by my way of looking at things, we have a few options.

(a) We read 1 chapter per week of Live Today Well. We stick to an Ordinary Time schedule, and break it up between winter Ordinary Time, picking back up after Lent/Easter. During Lent, we would read To the Field of Stars.

(b) We read 1 chapter per week of Live Today Well. We start next week, go all the way through winter Ordinary Time, and continue on into Lent and Easter. We will finish during the last week of April, about 2 weeks into the Easter season. Then we start To The Field of Stars. This timeline works out well for Fr. Roderick's pilgrimage (and he'll be podcasting the whole journey), as he's planning to embark during the Easter season.

(c) We read 2 chapters per week of Live Today Well. We start next week, and take the next 7 weeks to do this, finishing up about 2 weeks into Lent. Then we start either To the Field of Stars, or some other spiritual book.

Thoughts? My inclination would be (b). I don't want to rush Live Today Well. It's not a heavy read, but it's jam packed with information I need right now in my life, and will need all semester. Taking until late April to finish it is very appealing to me, since it spans that full season of my life. I also don't want to break up the flow of our reading and discussions by taking a break from it for Lent. To the Field of Stars, now that I look at it closer (and I don't even know if any of you want to read that along with me, so let me know if you do!), would be a lovely Easter read and would then coincide with his trip to Santiago de Compostela.

I know a bunch of you bought Live Today Well and are planning to read along, so I would love to hear from each and every one of you how you would like to proceed!

*beams*

Tea Time with Tiffany #74 - An Advent devotional with St. Teresa of Calcutta

Hello to you all! And welcome to a special edition of:

Today I'm honing in on Advent, since it is quickly approaching! And I'm going to share a review of an Advent devotional that I cannot wait to use this year, Advent with Saint Teresa of Calcutta, by Heidi Hess Saxton. Let's sit together with some tea and chat about it! If you do not have time to watch the video, I am including a written review below the show notes, as well. :) But the video will have all the fun action shots of the book!





**To subscribe to the audio version of Tea Time with Tiffany, just search for it in iTunes or use this link to subscribe via Feedburner in your podcatcher of choice. Intro music is "Tea Ceremony" from PlayonLoop.com

Items mentioned in this episode

• Advent with Saint Teresa of Calcutta: Daily Meditations, by Heidi Hess Saxton 

For those who prefer a written version, here is my review!

This cute little book by Heidi Hess Saxon is THE BOMB. I met Heidi at the CNMC last June, and given how sweet she was, I had a good feeling about her take on St. Teresa of Calcutta, and my expectations were more than met. This is a daily devotional for both Advent AND Christmas seasons (an author after my own liturgical calendar heart), and each short entry contains scripture references from the daily lectionary, a personal anecdote from Heidi relating to the theme of the day, along with quotes from St. Teresa, several reflection questions, and a prayer. There are special installments for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and the feasts of St. Nicholas and Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the O Antiphons begin on December 17th. You'll be able to customize the book to each individual Advent this way, as the days fall differently during the week each year. There will be meditations you may not need one year, and so the next year it will all feel fresh and new again!

I really love the tone and feel of this book. Heidi keeps it simple, but profound and personal, and that is the EXACT right vibe I was anticipating from a book featuring St. Teresa of Calcutta. She really hits the nail on the head with her selections, and even the small format of the book captures this spirit.

This book retails for $12.99, and can be ordered right now through Amazon for $11.49 in paperback, $9.99 for Kindle. For devotionals, I prefer print copies, but everyone is different, and it's certainly nice to have options! Do you own a copy of this book and plan to use it during Advent? Let me know in the comments!

Say...what do you think of using this book as our journaling aid for Advent, in the spirit of what we did with the INSPIRE posts this fall? We could have a weekly post to chat about our thoughts on the weeks themes and scripture readings. Chime in please!

*I received a free copy of Advent with Saint Teresa of Calcutta from Franciscan Media in exchange for my honest review.

Catholic Book Club: Church of Spies, chapters 6 - Epilogue

Happy book club Wednesday everyone! I hope that you are feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed this midweek day. I wouldn't say that I am particularly, ;-) but I am hanging in there!

I've been doing a LOT of reading lately. Well, I'm still not exactly moving at the speed of sound, but I am trying. This is a summer for reading, to be sure! I finished Church of Spies last week, and am working on the Late Summer Book Club now, as well as a few other books that I'll talk about soon (dystopian YA with a Catholic twist, oooooo).

I like how we've been breaking up and staggering the book club this spring/summer. I suggest we do this again in the fall, yay! More on that to come.

So, the last we spoke about Church of Spies, we had embarked on the first five chapters. Up to that point, I was having a bit of difficulty following along with names, and feeling like some of the content was quite shocking in such a way that it almost felt unreal (though of course I know that it isn't!). Then, on I dove into chapter 6 and beyond.

The book moved MUCH faster for me at this point, and I started to at least be able to associate which side, if you will, each of the names were a part of. That really helped me to be able to follow along with the action. Eventually, we got to events leading up to the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, and then the story became somewhat more familiar to me, since I had heard about that when the movie Valkyrie came out eight years ago. So much of what happened in WWII has that sense of surrealness to it, because it was so incredibly disturbing. Having that tie-in to the events of 1944, along with some previous knowledge, helped to really drive home for me what the Pope (and so many others) were involved in back then with the German Resistance.

Evil was so very manifest at that time, and one person was spearheading so much of it. Eliminating him would alleviate the suffering and death of so many.

And goodness, the poignancy of some of the stories. The mother who lost her two children for propagating anti-Nazi materials. The torture and death of many of the men involved in the plots to oust Hitler. The knowledge of what was happening in concentration camps nearby this whole time. It was hard to read. It is the reason I have never seen Schindler's List, though truly, I I need to toughen up. It is SO IMPORTANT to remember and keep at the forefront the suffering of our fellow human beings during this time period. The pain that I feel in seeing that suffering relayed inspires a passion in me to do whatever I can to help others, no matter how small an act it may be.

When I finished, I thought to myself how glad I was that I read this book. I found the beginning a bit difficult to follow, but that improved, and in the end the story is so incredibly important. I was on pins and needles to see what happened to all of the players in the plot from the Pope's circle.

What did you think? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts in the comments! Let's definitely do this again, yes? I'll put up a poll sometime in August, and we'll vote on something to read during the fall. What are you in the mood for, in terms of options? More non-fiction? A jump over to fiction? If so, what sub-genre? Romance, historical, contemporary, suspense? Please chime in with your thoughts!

Lots of crying this weekend, for various & sundry reasons...

Happy Tuesday everyone! Life has remained quite busy for me, as I'm sure it has for you as well. But importantly: LIFE IS GOOD! It really is, despite the fact that I cried a lot this weekend. ;-)  I'll tell you all about that in a minute, but don't forget that tomorrow is book club day! We'll be discussing the second half of Church of Spies. Do join us!

So, the weekend dawned quite hot and humid over here in WNY. On Saturday I was slated to dance with my troupe at a cultural diversity festival, and later have a date night with Mike. A fun agenda, indeed.

We arrived at the festival at 1 pm sweltering in our long red costume gowns and coverups. We gamely traversed the street booths, looking like a roving pack of traveling psychics I am sure. ;-) At least that's what someone told us recently about our coverups. We spotted a tiny, rickety stage and paused in quiet horror:

"Is that where we are supposed to dance?"

There are 7 of us. Tiny, rickety stages do not bode well.

"No, they said the *main* stage, near the end of the street. I think we have to walk further."

*collective sigh of relief*

We proceed on, and soon thereafter find...the "main" stage, which while slightly larger, also looks like a stiff breeze could blow it straight over.

:0

We sweated over in a tucked away corner, while a local Colombian troupe we're familiar with started to dance. The stage did in fact accommodate the handful of them just fine, so we breathed a bit easier as we sipped our water. As for me, my seasonal allergies were going BALLISTIC and I was all stuffy and sneezing left and right. The Colombian dancers finished, and we were hustled to the stage. Which had no stairs, but that's another story.

*sigh*

We made do.

Our Shaabi piece was up first, and it went just fine. The stage had lots of grooves in it, which we quickly learned to to avoid, and it creaked a bit, but other than that no signs of immediate collapse. ;-) A nice little crowd began to assemble to watch us.

Claire danced after that while we rested, and then we were up for a longer group segment. Our set length was only 15 minutes, so we didn't have too many numbers packed in. This last bit though was three separate choreographies.

First up in this mix was our Saidi cane piece. Cane balanced on my head for the beginning and was generally well-behaved, so all was well there. By this time, a LOT of people had gathered to watch us, including a small crowd of Muslim women. They LOVED us. :0 They enthusiastically cheered us on the whole time and gave me a thumbs up when I caught their eye. I loved them right back. The crowd was really great overall.

A lovefest right? Well, yes, but there was one small problem. My allergies suddenly sprang to life once again, and left eye began to water uncontrollably. Not exactly an easy thing to manage while up on stage with a cane balanced on my head. :0

My eye started to blink in a spastic-like fashion. I did what I could to wipe it during short spots in the choreography where I wasn't facing the audience, but Eye didn't exactly like that either. I had natural tears going on that soon mixed with the sweat and sunscreen also present on my face, and it was a whole bad Salty Tear Party going on. When I swiped at it, the salt and sunscreen just caused my eye to water MORE.

By time we moved into our pop song/drum solo combo, the situation was quite disastrous. With us being up on a stage, I just hoped that nobody noticed and thought I was crying. I also beamed as best I could while trying not to allow my nose to run. Glamour, all glamour over here. Although things were going smashingly well, I was dying for the set to be over.

When we finished, we had several requests for photographs, which we loved. Naturally, Eye was JUST FINE the instant we stopped dancing. :0

Putting the psychic coverups back on was completely gross with all the sweat, another glamour point in our favor. So after we finished taking pictures, we hustled back to the air conditioned cars.

*bliss*

I spent the afternoon cleaning up and spending some time with the kids, in preparation for the big date night. This part of the story thankfully does not involve any crying. ;-)

The kids went out to dinner with their grandparents, and Mike and I walked to a local Italian restaurant. Fabulousness. I mean, just look at our drinks:

Mike's is a vodka martini, and mine is a lemon drop martini, made with homemade Limoncello.

*swoons*

That's sugar around the rim of the glass, indeed. Wonderful night.

Sunday we went to 11 am Mass, and the congregation was awash in talk of the upcoming capital project to build a small parish center to house events and religious education. The old school building has been sold, so this is the proposed solution. I think that it'll be really nice, much more economical than maintaining the other large building, but as in any major parish project such as this, there is bound to be some drama. ;-)

Later in the day, after the kids went to bed, Mike and I watched Valkyrie.This is very Church of Spies inspired, given that I just finished the book last week and there is overlap in the events between the book and the film. This is where the second bout of crying came into play. :0

Man. Hard to watch, given that we know how it ends. Good men, just trying to spare the lives of other innocent people.

"Long live sacred Germany!" *heart*

I found it very moving to watch the film, and even with my poor memory for names in books and films, I recognized several from Church of Spies. I've been thinking about it quite a bit since Sunday night, it really made an impact on me. How much are we willing to put ourselves at risk to fight against evil and come to the aid of others?

Powerful. I am looking forward to discussing the book with you all tomorrow!

How was your weekend, dear ones? :-)

Catholic Book Club: Church of Spies, chapters 1-5

Hello to you out there, fellow book club aficionados! I'm super excited to finally be in the first book club post of our new format. I know that  number of you have been reading along with me, which is SO INCREDIBLY EXCITING!

This spring/early summer we are reading Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler, by Mark Riebling. For anybody who has not yet embarked on this book, here is the back cover summary: 

The Vatican’s silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him “Hitler’s Pope.” But a key part of the story has remained untold.

Pius ran the world’s largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitler—while secretly plotting to kill him.

Church of Spies documents this cloak and dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitler’s homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitler’s bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.

The plotters made history in ways they hardly expected. They inspired European unification, forged a U.S.-Vatican alliance that spanned the Cold War, and challenged Church teachings on Jews. Yet Pius’ secret war muted his public response to Nazi crimes. Fearing that overt protest would impede his covert actions, he never spoke the “fiery words” he wanted.

Told with heart-pounding suspense, based on secret transcripts and unsealed files, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican’s doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. The result is an unprecedented book that will change perceptions of how the world’s greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.

Intriguing premise, to be sure. I haven't read this sort of historical non-fiction in quite some time, so I was glad to have something different from my norm to read. Let's get into the nitty gritty!

The Prologue grabbed my attention from the outset. I'm always taken with books that start out with a tantalizing glimpse into something very dramatic, and we're not quite sure at that time how that scene fits into the larger story. Loved.

Chapter 1 felt like it took me quite some time to get through, though all of the background information on Pius XII, and the state of the world at the beginning of his papacy, was quite interesting. After chapter 1, it felt like the narrative moved more quickly.

Just as quickly, I got mired in names. ;-) I have a difficult time keeping track of what name belongs to what character in any book or film that I am consuming. I am easily confused, I suppose. I had to keep flipping back in my Kindle to earlier chapters to see if my hunches about who was who were correct so that I could keep tabs on everyone.

My initial impression is that it is hard to believe that this is non-fiction! Some of the events are quite unbelievable. I keep thinking to myself: "Really? This really happened?" It's all very dark and dramatic! The book is quite well footnoted, so I have no doubt as to its veracity. But the tone that the author creates does read in a way that is more common in fiction. To me, this is a very good quality for a substantive work on non-fiction! It certainly makes it more attention-grabbing for the reader.

I'm really enjoying feeling like a fly on the wall in the Vatican for this specific period of time. A difficult period of history, to be sure, but obviously very moving. I also have a papacy fascination. I love reading about daily goings-on in the lives of the pope and others in Vatican City. It makes me feel more a part of my very global faith.

Now I am ready for your thoughts. What did YOU think of chapters 1-5 dear reader?!

A few of you have mentioned that it was difficult to stop just at 5 chapters, so what would you like to do for June? Would you like to just read the rest of the book, which would be 20ish more chapters? Or would you like to cut it in half, and read chapters 6-16 for June, and then finish 17-26 plus the Epilogue for July? We likely won't start another book until September, just FYI. I'll likely put up a poll in August to vote for what we'll read over here on this humble blog for the fall. Once again, I'll include both fiction and non-fiction choices. So if that impacts your decision about how fast to read this book, you now have all of the information at your disposal. :)

New seasonal reads & summer fitness...

Another odd combination, to be sure, but you're used to that around here. ;-) Part of the issue is that I'm so heavily enmeshed in search committee tasks at work, and family stuff at home, that free time to work on anything cohesive is at a premium. I HAVE been reading though, so come prepared to talk about chapters 1-5 of Church of Spies next Wednesday!

I'm also excited about a few upcoming books in my queue. One is a new book about Mother Angelica that came out TODAY, authored by Ramond Arroyo:

I pre-ordered this, so it downloaded to my Kindle this morning. *happy sigh* I'd love to dig right in, but I have book club obligations ;-) so I'll likely wait til June. I do intend to read it this summer though!


The other thing I have been squeezing in priority-wise is fitness. I feel so much better in every possible way when I make time to stay active. What I have come to discover is that "staying active" means different things to different people. My philosophy is: do whatever you know that you will stick to doing. If you hate doing something (for me, this means running :0) there is no way in tarnation you're going to continue with it past some short, miserable, self-imposed stretch of time. We're going for healthy lifestyle changes, the long haul, right peeps?! So you should do what you enjoy. For me, this is:

(a) walking. Not running. *shudder* Just walking while listening to podcasts or loud, Middle Eastern music, and making my goal 10,000 steps per day.

(b) 1-2 fitness classes per week. I don't know what it is about being in a group, but I LOVE taking classes. I find it very motivating. I will not (1) workout to videos, I get lonely, or (2) go to the gym to attempt a bonding ritual with a treadmill or lift weights. Also lonely. And...I just hate doing those things. :0

But some people love them! So if you do, keep at it!

Since the New Year, I've been both walking and keeping to my goal of trying new fitness classes. I took Zumba and PiYo during the spring semester, but those are both now done til the fall. So, I have started taking a belly dance-inspired workout class on Monday nights at my studio called HipFit, and I LOVE IT. This is my summer workout plan, along with trying to fit in another class per week once the group fitness classes start up here on campus for the summer semester next month. Looks like there is a Pilates and a Barre class that I could potentially make on my lunch hour. So I'll take one of those when I can.

Nothing major, but I've lost about 5 pounds (that I've wanted to lose since I delivered Anne ;-)) and gained some muscle. I feel stronger and happier.

How about you? Do you have any summer fitness goals? I like talking about this with other people, it keeps us accountable and motivated, right? So do chime in, I'd love for us to encourage each other!

Book club timing decisions!

Hi all! So nice to be with you today, a beautiful sunny day here in WNY. I'm in a good mood, and all excited about book stuff for the summer. I hope that you are too!

I'm finishing up a romantic suspense series right now, by one of my favorite authors who lives in and sets all of her books in Montana, B.J. Daniels. So there is always a refreshing western theme to all of her books, which is very exotic for this northeastern gal. I'm really enjoying the last book in the current series.

I also was able to procure our summer non-fiction read, Church of Spies, as an ebook from my public library, though this good fortune is not destined to last. The lending period for ebooks is *1 week*, which, I'm sorry, is TOO SHORT. I can't finish a 300 page book in a week! I checked it out so that I could explore it this week, and then I'll decide what to do. I'll either get on the waiting list to check it out again, or if that is too long, I'll buy it.

I'm sure though that many of you are in the same dilemma. If you're getting the book from your public library in print, the lending period is most likely longer, but still somewhat restricted given that it just came out last year. I know that at my library, there is a waiting list for the print copies. So that will factor into our decision on how to structure our read-along.

I took a look at the Table of Contents, and you can too from the Amazon preview of the hardcover edition, if you like. I mentioned before that it has 26 chapters, plus a short prologue and epilogue. We mentioned designating a chunk to read for the end of May, and then seeing how it goes before projecting how we'll divide up the rest of the book. I think that this is a great idea.

So now to designate that first chunk. :) I looked at the page numbers in the Table of Contents, and thought to myself:

"Oh, we could read maybe the first 9 chapters as a start, that's only 100 pages!"

#hopespringseternal

Well.

Last night I embarked on the book on my cute little Kindle Paperwhite, Francis, and he immediately zoomed to my aid to let me know how long he thought it would take me (based upon my frequency in turning pages in other books) to read chapter 1.

36 minutes. :0

That's a lot longer than I thought. Last night before I fell asleep, I read about 11 Kindle pages, down to about 28 or so minutes remaining in the chapter. According to Francis, I'm on page 11 of 346 pages, based upon my font size and Kindle screen size.

Thus, my thought is that we should start with 5 chapters. Does this sound good? And we'll shoot for the last Wednesday in May, which is May 25th. That's 3 weeks away. Do you like the sound of that?

Please do let me know your thoughts. We're in this together, and I want it to be a good reading experience! We can "meet" more frequently than once per month and divide the book up into smaller chapter segments once we get going too, if everyone likes that idea. Every two to three weeks. Chime in peeps!

I also have fiction news just waiting to break, so stay tuned if that is your preferred genre. There will be a summer program for you as well! :0 Also, tomorrow being the feast of the Ascension, which, in my diocese is a holy day of obligation, I'm postponing Tea Time til Friday. I'm going to Mass in the morning at Henry's school, which will be lovely, but throws my day off a bit. Friday will be easier this week. Chat with you then, and in the comments to this post!

Catholic Book Club: Divine Mercy for Moms

Well, hello to you all, and welcome to the brand new edition of the Catholic Book Club! I'll talk about our first foray into voting for upcoming books and the next selected title at the bottom of this post. We'll need to figure out how we want to structure the posts, since I'm thinking it will be a multi-part endeavor.

This month we're featuring a Catholic non-fiction title, indeed one of the special Catholic Mom imprint selections from Ave Maria Press, Divine Mercy for Moms by Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet. For spiritual non-fiction, this was a quick read for me, which for someone who usually gets bogged down in spiritual reading and doesn't finish, is a really good thing!

 Here is our description:

Originating in the early twentieth century, the Divine Mercy devotion of St. Faustina Kowalska is one of the most celebrated of all Catholic devotions. In this, their first book, Catholic bloggers and speakers Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet break open the history, practices, and prayers associated with the devotion, guiding busy moms to receive God's message of Divine Mercy and pass it on to others through their words, deeds, and prayers.

In her famous Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, St. Faustina Kowalska recorded a series of visions of Jesus where he revealed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and promised that anything can be obtained with the prayer if it is compatible with his will. St. John Paul II formally established the Divine Mercy devotion and canonized Faustina in 2000. The Marians of the Immaculate Conception are dedicated to spreading the Divine Mercy devotion; the foreword for this book was written by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of Divine Mercy Explained and 33 Days to Morning Glory.

In Divine Mercy for Moms, Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet, chairwomen of the Columbus Catholic Women's Conference--one of the largest annual Catholic women's conferences in the country--draw upon their own experiences to introduce you to St. Faustina and her five essential elements of the Divine Mercy message:

• The image of the Merciful Jesus


• The Feast of Divine Mercy


• The Chaplet of Divine Mercy


• The House of Mercy


• Spreading the honor of Divine Mercy

With heartwarming stories and practical advice, this book reveals that mercy is not just a gift to be received in the confessional but a spiritual resource that strengthens those who extend themselves in word, deed, and prayer. Designed for personal or group study, Divine Mercy for Moms celebrates the infinite mercy of God and the role of Mary, the Mother of Mercy, in the lives of all believers.

The book also includes group study questions, prayers of mercy, and thirty reflections from the authors' website, DivineMercyforMoms.

I absolutely LOVED the concept and structure of this book. From the appealing cover art to the practical suggestions and personal examples for acting out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in our own lives, this book pushed all of my buttons in a very good way.

I really enjoyed the beginning chapters which discussed the history of the Divine Mercy image and some background on St. Faustina. The authors' personal stories woven throughout is my favorite approach to non-fiction. Shamefully, I didn't know the corporal and spiritual works of mercy prior to reading this, so I appreciated having everything listed in one spot, with all of the ideas and prayers included for each one.  I thought the "30 Days of Mercy" exercises included in the appendix was an excellent addition. A wonderful exercise for Lent or Advent, either with a study group or individually.

The only part of the book I found awkward was the fact that there are two authors and it was written in the first person. Specifically, each would identify herself at the beginning of the chapter in parentheses as she began her discussion, and I found that that disrupted the flow of the narrative a bit. That's my only criticism. I'm not certain I can put my finger on a better way to handle the situation, however.

The book read quickly for me, I finished well within a week. What did you all think? Please detail in the comments!

And now...

*drumroll*

...it is time for the big reveal! Our next Catholic Book Club title will be:

Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler, by Mark Riebling:

The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him "Hitler's Pope." But a key part of the story has remained untold.

Pius ran the world's largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitler--while plotting to overthrow him.

Church of Spies documents this cross-and-dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitler's homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitler's bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.

The plotters made history in ways they hardly expected. They inspired European unification, forged a U.S.-Vatican alliance that spanned the Cold War, and challenged Church teachings on Jews. Yet Pius' secret war muted his public response to Nazi crimes. Fearing that overt protest would impede his covert actions, he never spoke the "fiery words" he wanted.

Told with heart-pounding suspense, based on secret transcripts and unsealed files, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. The result is an unprecedented book that will change perceptions of how the world's greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.

If you're a fan of fiction over non-fiction, do not despair! I have some news on that front, so hang tight. ;-)

But for this one, I just took a peek. We have 26 chapters, about 240 pages worth of material. How would you all like to handle this? Should we read it over the course of the entire summer? Maybe a post per month for May, June, July, possibly August? Somewhere between 5 and 8 chapters at a time? Or do you have another suggestion? Please do chime in! If you're getting this from the library, you won't be able to check it out for that long, so perhaps you'd prefer a different method? I'm all ears!