Holy Exercises: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Practice by Fr. Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R.

Holy Exercises: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Practice by Fr. Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R.

Holy Exercises: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Practice

by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R.

The purpose of Alphonsian spirituality is to preach the Gospel by our words and actions. The conversion of the world presupposes our own inner conversion of heart which, in turn, presupposes developing heartfelt spiritual practices that make a life of radical personal and communal conversion possible. This book focuses on a number of such practices that Alphonsus found to be helpful aids for his own spiritual journey and that he wished to share with others. They do not take the place of attending Mass and praying the Breviary, but rather complement them by helping us to deepen out love for Christ and walking the way of holiness.

Paperback: $12.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Once again, Fr. Dennis Billy has captured the heart of St. Alphonsus, the great spiritual master and eminently practical guide to the Christian life. This book will open to readers much more than the teaching of St. Alphonsus. It can open up our call to practice the Christian life according to the heart of Jesus, and to be transformed by his Spirit active in our lives. A rich resource for students of Liguori, but also a treasury of spirituality for preachers, teachers, and all disciples.” – The Most Reverend Michael Brehl,C.Ss.R., Former Redemptorist Superior General, Bishop of Pembroke, Canada

“This delightful distillation of St. Alphonsus Ligouri’s spirituality of practice highlights its timeless relevance.  For instance, recent efforts to encourage the faithful to visit Jesus in the tabernacle – including, for example, my book about praying with tabernacle art before the Real Presence – complement Rev. Dennis Billy’s discussion of the saint’s “Practice of the Visit.” Holy Exercises gives us a valuable resource for spiritual direction, illustrating how to preach the Gospel by words and actions based on inner conversion founded on devotional practices.  I know I’ll find myself going back to it again and again to use in my apostolate.“ — Lynda Rozell, author of Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fr. Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R., is Professor Emeritus of the history of moral theology and Christian spirituality at the Alphonsian Academy of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and currently serves as The Robert F. Leavitt Distinguished Service Chair in Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore. An American Redemptorist of the Baltimore Province, Fr. Billy has advanced degrees from Harvard University, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum), and the Graduate Theological Foundation. The author of numerous books and articles on a variety of religious topics, he is also active in his order’s retreat apostolate and in the ministry of spiritual direction.

 

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Speaking One’s Soul: Magnifying God’s Word in a Madly Godless World by Patti Hershwitzky and Mary Sobel Ott

Speaking One’s Soul: Magnifying God’s Word in a Madly Godless World by Patti Hershwitzky and Mary Sobel Ott

Speaking One’s Soul: Magnifying God’s Word in a Madly Godless World

by Patti Hershwitzky, Ed.S. and Mary Sobel Ott

Innumerous works through the ages have addressed the contradictions and conflicts between religion and government, particularly from the Catholic perspective over the past 2000 years, with emphasis on societies choosing either God’s soul work or deceptive soul destruction. What sets apart Speaking One’s Soul from those well researched and inspired forums, books, commentaries, and media is its focus on saving the spiritually endangered individual born into the post WWII era, often referenced as a Baby Boomer.  Partly confessional, the authors, Catholic reverts, emphasize the need for unifying friendship and community, but foremost salvational truth. The text integrates the timeless power of Scripture, emphasized in a personalized Rosary; narratives illustrating the deadly impact of deceptive snares but also tales of virtuous heroism; extraordinary relatable conversion stories; and many resources to enable serene commitment, conviction, and courage when confronting evil while endeavoring to save souls. 

Among the points of emphasis:

  • Understanding the finite time God has permitted the Evil One and each of us.
  • Examining one’s personal life from birth onward as St. Francis de Sales advised.
  • Establishing prayer as an indispensable, daily foundational practice, optimally with Scripture, daily Mass attendance and frequent confession. 
  • Recatechizing oneself through Church history, the Church Fathers and Doctors,  Scripture; the Catholic Catechism; numerous timeless, universal encyclicals; and exploring sound treatises on Church politics to successfully navigate the world.
  • Cherishing the marvelous holy examples of the past and present. 
  • Recognizing igneous reactivity vs. responsible response.
  • Distinguishing resignation to evil from surrender to Divine Mercy. 
  • Embracing all persons in the Light of God, Author of all Life. 
  • Cultivating healthy unity and community. 
  • Envisioning the defeat of the Evil One and embracing the joy of Heaven forever.

Paperback: $TBA | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

TBA

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Patricia (Patti) Hershwitzky, Ed.S., is the author of two books:  The Third Millennium Woman, CMJ Catholic Books and West Las Vegas, Arcadia Publications; past magazine articles in Hearts Aflame Magazine, Canticle, Hearth, and Crisis; and numerous published communications

Preceded by a childhood as an Army dependent who traveled the world and during some of its worst post World War II crises, the author of Teaching the City of God in the City of Man brings a varied and sometimes conflicting background that spans over fifty years in political science, journalism-writing, and education.  Her journey has taken her from being a Young Democrat in San Francisco’s Moscone-Milk-Feinstein era to campaigning for conservative candidates in several states on both coasts.  While her  initial career was initiated by working for a tourist magazine and then as a public relations and advertising account executive,  disillusionment with the world, turned her back to the one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and an entry into education.  Yet, even in the late 1980’s that field was already being contaminated by agnostic, at best, influences that nearly derailed her credential program.

It was also a period of realization that Catholic schools, while employing good hearted and capable teachers, were being misdirected and unduly affected by unChristian concepts.  Following ten years in Catholic schools in California and Maryland, the author ventured into the public system for twelve years, candidly necessitated by economic factors but also in the hopes of being a Catholic presence albeit subtly.  Even more startling realities about the state of education, overall awaited her.  In twelve years, despite numerous endeavors and community interaction, some in leadership roles, the author concluded that American culture had so far deteriorated that nothing short of an almost miraculous intervention would alter the downward trajectory.   

Afterwards, re-entering Catholic schooling as a principal, she experienced a deep fissure in attitude towards both the Faith and its role in education among parents and teachers.  Within one generation, the situation had grown more perilous.  Even some well intentioned, good hearted educators seemed more intent on accommodating parents— “consumer satisfaction” dilemma —and appearing democratic than contemplating students’ souls and the Kingdom of God.  

It would be the culmination of a life that had went down a wrong path for well over a decade, followed by the rediscovery of Catholic identity, and then sorrow and stark dread of so many lost people that compelled the author to first envision better texts. Ultimately, an entirely different approach to preparing Catholic educators became the mission as so many, through no fault of their own,  had been descendants of diluted teaching for several generations.  Yet, it had to be an enterprise that had its footing in the world but its head directed by Heaven.

Thus ultimately arose Teaching the City of God in the City of Man.

Mary Sobel Ott currently offers professional genealogical research services through her business Before the Ink Fades in El Dorado, California.  Her prior fields included thirty years in healthcare, law, and historic and topical research.  Her special interests include gardening, photography, writing, and art.  She is most passionate about her Catholic faith and being a joyful wife to her beloved Michael.  A nurturing mother and doting grandmother, Mary also extends her affection to animals, especially the family cat.

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Expressing Spiritual Experiences through Images, Poems, and Prayers

Expressing Spiritual Experiences through Images, Poems, and Prayers

Expressing Spiritual Experiences through Images, Poems, and Prayers

Edited by Sr. Adaku Helen Ogbuji, CCVI, PhD

As the novice director/formation director for the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Sr. Adaku Helen Ogbuji, CCVI, provides the sisters with reflection questions to assist them in their discernment journey toward religious life, always asking them to be creative in the illustration of their thoughts. Invariably, the sisters have surprised her with deep theological reflections, inspirational prayers, spiritually uplifting poetry, and powerfully crafted imagery, which have the cumulative effect of connecting readers to the Divine! It is the hope of these authors that readers will be drawn into engaging more actively and creatively in their own prayer lives with the Divine.

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TESTIMONIALS

TBA

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Sister Adaku Helen (Helena) Ogbuji, CCVI, PhD, belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, Texas. She is an author of several books: Dealing Effectively with Domestic Abuse: The Ministry of Reconciliation and Healing; Influence of Childhood Experiences on Faith Development: A Journey Towards Wholeness; Out of the Lips of Infants, Wisdom Comes: Retelling the Bible Stories. Recently, she edited and co-authored Incarnational Spirituality: Embodying the Love of the Incarnate Word. She holds a master’s in Theology, Divinity and Psychology and a PhD in Counseling Psychology. Presently, she is the Formation Director and the Novice Director in their formation house in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

Sister Fridah Kirito Munjuri is from Meru, Kenya, and she is a trained primary school Teacher. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, in August 2018 in Nairobi and made her first religious profession on the 15th of August, 2023. She is teaching at Bishop Ndingi Primary School in Molo, Kenya.

Sr. Maruca Ramirez Lopez is from Guatemala. She is a primary school teacher by profession. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston, Texas, on January 5, 2020, in Guatemala. She moved to the United States to continue her formation program at our International Novitiate House in Saint Louis, Missouri. She is presently a second-year novice. Painting and drawing help her communicate with God and enter into a deeper relationship with him.

Sr. Minh Ngoc Nguyen Tran is originally from South Vietnam. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. In 2017, she met the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, at their Taize prayer at the Motherhouse in Houston, Texas. Two years later, she joined the Congregation. She is now a second-year Novice. She enjoys making cards, arts and crafts, drawing, cooking, and exploring new things. She also likes to reflect and connect her prayer life with everyday life.

Sr. My Ngoc Nguyen is a Vietnamese American. Her first degree is in Kinesiology, and her Master of Arts is in Occupational Therapy. In 2013, she encountered the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, at a young adult retreat at the Motherhouse in Houston, Texas. Years later, she surrendered to God’s calling and joined the Congregation in 2019. Her favorite hobby is capturing the beauty of God’s creation through the lenses of her camera. She is a second-year novice in our International Novitiate House in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sr. Noella Alice Kashemwa Nshobole is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She has a Diploma in Health and Community Development. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston, Texas, in 2019. She is in our International Novitiate house in St Louis, Missouri, USA, as a second-year Novice.

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Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle by Lynda Rozell

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle by Lynda Rozell

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle

by Lynda Rozell with a foreword by George Weigel

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle discusses tabernacle images with reflections on their symbolism, encouraging devotion to Jesus in the tabernacle and drawing readers to adoration at the tabernacle outside of a formal holy hour. Organized under the themes of Nourishment, Sacrifice, Jesus, Spirit, Church, and Mission, this book helps readers deepen their devotion to Jesus in His Real Presence. In addition to reflections from Scripture and tradition, the book includes photographs of tabernacles visited by the author to help guide the reader’s prayer and meditation. In so doing, they show the reader how to use visual images as a starting point for prayer, teaching readers how to enter more fully into their personal conversations with Christ by prayerfully “reading” their own tabernacle and those they encounter in their busy lives.  

Paperback (grayscale): $19.95 | Paperback (full color): $24.95 | Hardback (grayscale): $29.95 | Hardback (full color): $49.95 | Kindle: $9.99 | Puzzles: $29.95

Click on the puzzle images below to order your very own 500-piece tabernacle puzzle in a tin can (from the Tin-Can Pilgrim!) — both the book cover and the tabernacle from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Miami Beach, Florida (photo courtesy of Jim Dwight Davis). More tabernacle puzzles coming soon!


TESTIMONIALS

“John Paul II said, “The presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of him, ready to wait patiently to hear his voice and, as it were, to sense the beating of his heart” (Mane Nobiscum Domine, 18). In this inspiring and well written book Lynda Rozell invites all of us to take up this invitation and to be drawn into the Holy of Holies found in each tabernacle where the Eucharist is reserved. These lessons and meditations will be helpful for anyone who would like to encounter Jesus in a deeper way in the Blessed Sacrament.” —  Most Rev. Andrew Cozzens, Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, Chair of the National Eucharistic Congress

“An encounter with Christ in the Eucharist in adoration enables us to have Epiphany Moments where the Lord shines Truth on our lives. This book, Return to Me, can inspire our Epiphany Moments by providing beautiful images for meditation on the Eucharist and encouraging visits to tabernacles.” — Vanessa Denha Garmo, host of Ave Maria Radio’s “Epiphany” program, founder of Epiphany Communications & Coaching

“Lynda Rozell’s book, “Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle,” is an invaluable reminder of the treasure that exists in all Catholic churches – the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Eucharist. She dives into the purpose and history of tabernacles and shares why it’s important we spend time before them in adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament to pray to Jesus. She also offers thoughtful reflections on themes and symbols of tabernacle art. Her book is personal, as she traveled across the country, visiting dozens of churches. Photos of the tabernacles bring to life her reflections and prayers. Ultimately, the book is a faith-filled, informative and inspiring way to grow in deeper faith and knowledge of the Eucharist.” — The Very Rev. Edward C. Hathaway, Rector, The Basilica of Saint Mary (Alexandria VA)

“In this inspiring book, Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle, Lynda Rozell shares the heart of her wayfaring life—her visits to Jesus in the tabernacles of the many churches she passes on the road. A professional nomad, Lynda lives a life radically available to God’s call to bring the good news of his love to whomever he sends her. And along the way, she gains direction and strength from frequent visits to Our Lord in the tabernacle. A combination of photos, personal stories, meditations, prayers, and information about the Eucharist, tabernacles, and sacred art, Lynda’s poetic way with words makes Return to Me an engaging read. Whether you are a traveler or not, Lynda will have you looking for pit stops in your day and week to check in with Almighty God and gain strength, wisdom, and love for your own journey.” — Ever Johnson co-founder and director of Trinity House Community ministry

“As I read the author’s latest book detailing her Airsteam travels as a Catholic evangelist, I found myself praying with her before spectacular tabernacles in churches across the country. Her photos of these gorgeous sacrament houses–domed or box-like vessels containing consecrated communion hosts–show them as gorgeous works of Christian art, as well as a central focus for prayer, meditation, and reflection. Rozell writes beautifully, and I feel her joy through a life focused on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while spreading the Good News to others.” – Char Jones


REVIEW BY ROSE FOLSOM, OP, FOUNDER OF VIRTUE CONNECTION

Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle is your new adoration companion.

 

Perhaps you want to make visits to Jesus in the Tabernacle but aren’t sure what to do when you get there—and are feeling a little intimidated even to try. Or maybe you’ve been visiting regularly for years and wish it could all feel new and fresh again. Or you used to visit regularly, but life took over and you’re out of the habit now.

 

Whatever your experience before the Eucharistic Jesus, Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle by Lynda Rozell, is for you.

 

Rozell, also known as the Tin Can Pilgrim, has journeyed to every state in the lower 48 in her beloved Airstream as she gently witnesses to Christ along the way. Her spiritual fuel is Jesus in the Eucharist, who has drawn her to pray before more than a hundred tabernacles in her travels. The richness of her love for Christ comes through in this book. Her joy at his love for us overflows in meditations that provide potent spiritual food for the reader.

 

The meat of the book comprises nine chapters on various visual themes Rozell encountered in tabernacles during her travels, including Nourishment, Sacrifice, Jesus, Spirit, Church, and Mission. Within each theme, symbols such as the anchor, grapes and wheat, the cross, the Holy Family, and the Eucharist himself, are covered. Each one includes the author’s photos of the tabernacles she writes about. Many include a fascinating history of the visual motif, a meditation on that motif, and prayers of Rozell and saints pertaining to that motif.

 

Return to Me flows from the heart of a writer deeply in love with Jesus. That love transfers to the reader and will inspire you to go visit Jesus in the Tabernacle and will enrich your time there. It is a book to be sipped and savored, as each short chapter offers food for the mind, the imagination, and the heart.

 

The mind wants to know

Return to Me provides food for the mind by giving us a greater understanding of the Tabernacle itself and the rich symbolism we see depicted there. For example, “The original meaning of the word tabernacle in Latin means a hut or tent. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, the word tabernacle refers to the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred objects were kept.” As our mind absorbs facts about a practice thousands of years old, we feel connected intellectually to eternal truth and the rich tradition of which we are part. Abundant footnotes provide sources for further investigation.

 

The imagination wants to dream

The book provides nourishment for the imagination as the author walks us through a meditation on the art of each of dozens of tabernacles. This provides a way to meditate on what we see (a form of prayer that is called visio divina). For example, a tabernacle adorned with a pelican motif inspires this meditation: “In the pelican theme, the baby birds represent us, the nest encircling them represents the Church, and the mother pelican represents Christ as head of the Church. Just as a sharp lance pierces Jesus’ side as he hung on the cross, the sharp beak of the mother pelican pierces its breast. The Blood of Christ feeds us; the blood of the mother pelican sustains her children. The mother sacrifices her life that her babies may live; Christ sacrificed His life so that we could live.”

 

The heart wants to love

Nourishment for the mind and the imagination makes us ready for our heart to engage with love himself, Jesus present right before us in the Tabernacle. This “conversation” with Jesus is often expressed in wordless silence. If you are moved to use words but aren’t sure what to say, the author includes short prayers that have flowed from her own heart and that of others before the Tabernacle, making this book a modest school of prayer.

 

The will wants to act

And there is a fourth thing: the author reminds us that the intellectual and spiritual food we receive at the tabernacle is not only to be taken in and enjoyed, but also transformed into fuel for our apostolate. “When we see loaves and fishes on a tabernacle we can reflect how Jesus ultimately gives us Himself to eat, but calls us to give of ourselves to others. Like the disciples, we are to share all that we have in imitation of Christ. To do so we must become as children, trusting God to make the most of the little we have to offer.”

 

Many people crave pockets of silence in their life to be able to listen to God, who alone can give the peace of soul they long for—but they don’t know how to make it happen. This book provides an incentive to visit Jesus “in person” because it appeals to all the ways we connect with him. Return to Me keeps us from ever showing up to a visit with Jesus “with nothing to do.” It helps ensure we will experience the rich connection with Jesus for which we were born.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynda Rozell is a Catholic evangelist and former lawyer who lives and travels in a camper van.  Six years ago, she discerned a call to live among and work alongside full-time nomads in the United States.  She quietly engages the people she meets on the road in conversation and prayer, encouraging them to develop or deepen their relationship with God.  She travels to shrines and religious sites as she moves between campgrounds and parks from the deserts of the Southwest to the forests of Maine and the swamps of Florida.  She sometimes volunteers in exchange for campsites or works alongside other travelers in short term manual labor jobs, most recently at the Michigan sugar beet harvest.  

As an outgrowth of this apostolate, Lynda frequently speaks to audiences ranging from recreational vehicle enthusiasts to local Councils of Catholic Women, parish groups, and book clubs.  Her photographs and articles about the spiritual life, travel, and shrines and religious sites can be found at her blog www.tincanpilgrim.com.

Lynda’s latest book, Return to Me: Visits to the Tabernacle (En Route Books and Media 2024), endorsed by Bishop Andrew Cozzens with a foreword by George Weigel, looks at the art of tabernacles as inspiration for prayer in the Real Presence outside of a formal holy hour.  Parents and grandparents who bring children to visit Jesus in the tabernacle may also like the accompanying coloring book, Light of the World: Tabernacle Art Coloring Book (En Route Books and Media 2024). 

Lynda’s debut book, Journeys with a Tin Can Pilgrim (St. John’s Press 2021), is a spiritual travel memoir about how she returned to faith and became a roaming evangelist.  She’s also published In Plain Sight Hidden (St. Bona’s Press 2022), a collection of religious poetry about nature, camping, and relationship with God, and The Airstream Travels Coloring Book (St. Bona’s Press 2022), containing Lynda’s original drawings and photographs formatted for meditative coloring by adults.  She’s a contributing author and photographer to The Eighth Station (Via Crucis Press 2024) by Deirdre McQuade and Friends, a photo-essay collection of reflections by women about how Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem on the way of the cross.  

Lynda has appeared on several live radio shows, podcast interviews, and television programs. These include, for example, “Kresta in the Afternoon” and “Epiphany” on Ave Maria Radio, as well as Currents News (Diocese of Brooklyn), Walk in Faith (Diocese of Brooklyn), and Catholic Faith Network’s CFN Live (Diocese of Rockville Center).  

Lynda earned a B.A. (1984), M.A. (1986), and J.D. (1988) at the University of Viriginia. She worked as an attorney in private practice and for the Federal Trade Commission before becoming a project manager and in-house counsel at a non-profit, pro-life medical practice in northern Virginia. She is the mother of two grown children and remains a lector at her home parish, St. Leo the Great in Fairfax, Virginia, when she visits the area. 

Contact Lynda for more information about her availability as a speaker at lynda@tincanpilgrim.com or (703) 861-6658.  Learn more about her travels and events at https://tincanpilgrim.com.

Photograph by Renata Grzan Wieczorek — https://www.FortheLoveofBeauty.com

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The Comic Catholic

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TESTIMONIALS

“Ronda Chervin tugs at that funny bone in all of us, engaging us at the core of our personhood.” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante’s Divine Comedy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronda Chervin, PhD, is a professor of philosophy, widow, grandmother, and great grandmother. She has taught at Loyola Marymount University, St. John’s Seminary of Los Angeles, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, and Holy Apostles Seminary and College. She is the author of numerous books about Catholic living and presents on EWTN and Catholic Radio. Most well-known of her books are The Way of Love, Treasury of Women Saints, Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering: How our Heroes in Faith Found Peace amid Sorrow, and, most recently, with co-author Albert Hughes: Escaping Anxiety on the Road to Spiritual Joy. 

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Imagine the Joy! Reveries on Divine Revelation

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Imagine the Joy! Reveries on Divine Revelation

by Freddie Stewart, Jr.

Compelled by his rich evangelical experience of searching the Scriptures alongside Christian brethren seeking spiritual inspiration and practical wisdom, Freddie has sought to share his enthusiasm for fellowship centered on mutual exploration of divine revelation with Catholic brethren. For over a decade, Freddie has shared reflections on Scripture studied through the lens of Church teachings. Virtually all of these reflections exist as emails that Freddie shared with scores of fellow parishioners, family members and friends. Imagine the Joy! represents a sample of these emails, revised as essays with more complete references. Freddie’s purpose in publishing these essays in book form is to encourage his fellow lay Catholics to be intentional participants in the Church’s great venture of seeking ever deeper insight into the deposit of the Faith consisting of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as indivisible expressions of the Word of God.
 

Paperback: $12.95 | Kindle: $9.99

 

TESTIMONIALS

“This collection of essays by Freddie Stewart represents the fruit of a faithful Catholic layman’s meditation on key passages of divine revelation in Scripture through the lens of core doctrines of the faith, as defined by the Church’s magisterium through the centuries. The result is a series of thought-provoking and inspiring reflections on how central mysteries of the faith touch our daily lives—and how these mysteries can help guide us through the complex challenges that our contemporary culture poses to living our faith authentically. I trust that you will find Imagine the Joy as engaging as I have!” – Fr. John Langlois, O.P., Prior, St. Gertrude Dominican Priory, Cincinnati
“Imagine the Joy! invites us into a deep and engaging conversation of the eternal truths of our faith. With clarity and precision, Freddie Stewart encourages us to immerse ourselves in a childlike sense of wonder as a way to open our intellect and hearts to a greater maturity of understanding, wisdom, and ultimately joy.” – Kiki Latimer, author of Home for the Homily: The Sacred Art of Homiletics and Seeing God’s Face: A Catholic American Woman in India

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Unbaptized and unchurched as a child and atheistic as a young adult, Freddie was baptized into Christ at age 33 in a “non-denom” evangelical Protestant community. There, Freddie learned the spiritual value of fervent Christian fellowship in diligently seeking to understand and apply the divine wisdom of God’s written Word in the Sacred Scriptures. However, Freddie’s growing awareness of the serious limitations of studying Scripture absent objective doctrinal interpretation compelled him to investigate the question of authority. Through a providential encounter with a professional colleague who was an exceptionally well-informed Catholic, Freddie began an intensive process of dialogue and study.  This process culminated in his conviction of the Catholic Church’s exclusively divine institution as the household of God, whose chief steward is the Bishop of Rome in unbroken succession from Peter. Freddie was received into the Church in 1998, six years following his baptism, and his marriage to Colleen, his legal wife of thirteen years at that time, was elevated to a sacrament. Freddie earned a graduate degree in theology from Christendom College in 2005. After thirty-five years in the DC suburbs of northern Virginia, Freddie and Colleen retired to south central Pennsylvania in 2021, where they are active in their new parish and maintain close relationships with friends and family, including their grandchildren and godchildren.

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