The Art of Listening to Young People: A Pastoral and Scientific Guide

by Amoris Christi

Listening is a form of encounter that allows us to be with another person, to see through their eyes, and to journey with them. The Art of Listening to Young People uniquely blends extensive scientific research with pastoral experience and theology to provide guidance and inspiration for youth ministers, spiritual directors, formation advisors, therapists, and anyone else who desires to better accompany young people today.

Paperback: $20 | Audible: $14.99 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“The book’s cogent presentation of the importance of listening to the young, as an essential way of accompanying and leading them, manifests an attentive response to Pope Francis’s reflections on the education of children, where he says: ‘The real question, then, is … where [our children] are existentially, where they stand in terms of their convictions, goals, desires and dreams. The questions I would put to parents are these: ‘Do we seek to understand ‘where’ our children really are in their journey? Where is their soul, do we really know? And above all, do we want to know?” (Amoris Laetitia, 261; citing General Audience Catechesis, May 20, 2015)'” – Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio

“The Art of Listening to Young People is an integrated contribution, confidently grounded in the complementarity of faith and reason, which unites authentic Christian principles with astute practical wisdom, supported by scientific research. This work gives a refreshing perspective on encountering young people with compassion and clarity – committed to receiving another as a human person with dignity and facing the challenges of the times with the Gospel imperative to “Be not afraid!” For anyone ministering to young people, this piece serves as a most valuable guide in navigating the shadows of today’s culture with the bright light of truth and Christian charity – a most important topic for this age of the Church. It’s a deeply beneficial and encouraging read!” – Monsignor James P. Shea, President, The University of Mary

“‘I hear you.’ How often does this expression mask the reality that we have heard words with our ears but have not really listened to the person in front of us? The Art of Listening to Young People calls all who are called to accompany young people to understand them better and truly listen to what they are saying. Drawing from psychology and the social sciences as well as from great leaders of the Catholic tradition, the authors call us to care enough to make sure that it is obvious to young people that we are truly listening to them. While there are skills to learn, we are not presented with a recipe, but with good advice for improving in what is truly an art, as the title says. Thanks to Amoris Christi, a program that is expert in working with young people, for producing this great work.” – Fr. Alfredo I. Hernández, Rector/President, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, author of Formation Activities and Catholic Seminarians

“The book The Art of Listening to Young People is a profound helping hand and resource book for those who wish to accompany young people in one-on-one settings like mentoring, formation, spiritual direction or counseling.” – Bishop Joy Alappatt, St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Chicago 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amoris Christi is a Catholic, nonprofit organization devoted to the formation of Christian leaders, based in Delray Beach, FL. It is an affiliate of Jesus Youth, which is an international Catholic movement of pontifical right. This book was authored by Amoris Christi’s multidisciplinary research wing, the Institute for Excellence.

OTHER CATHOLIC PRACTICAL THEOLOGY BOOKS

Handbook for Catholic Religious

by Fr. Bevil Bramwell, OMI

Reflecting on the theology of the presence of Christ in the world, particularly from the point of view of the aesthetics of religious life as understood from the writings of Hans Urs von Balthasar, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Fr. Bramwell explains that a particular problem for Religious in the 21st century is that they are trying to pray, live and work in an age that is antagonistic to such a life. If religious life is ever separated from its relation to and expression of the life of Christ, then it is no longer religious life as the Church understands it. For this reason, Fr. Bramwell gets to grips across the pages of this book with the existential challenges that face serious Religious every day. 

Paperback: $19.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Fr. Bramwell’s expression of the intensity and beauty of religious life is an inspiration to all the faithful, strengthening their love and giving them hope for joyful and eternal communion with the Triune God.” – Dr. Cynthia Toolin-Wilson, author of Survivor: A Memoir of Forgiveness

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fr. Bevil Bramwell, OMI, has been a professor and spiritual director in high schools, research schools, seminaries, and universities. He received his UEd and BSc from the University of Natal in South Africa; an S.T.B. from the Gregorian University in Rome; an STL from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology; and his PhD from Boston College. Father speaks English, French, Italian, and Afrikaans fluently, while being able to read and speak less fluently German, Spanish, Dutch, Latin, and Greek. Many groups including his own community, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, as well as the National Catholic Education Association have invited his presentations and lectures. His publications include an undergraduate textbook on the theology of the sacraments, book reviews, and numerous articles for technical spiritual journals as well as the pastoral periodicals: Priest; Homiletic and Pastoral Review. Fr. Bramwell has published Laity: Beautiful, Good and True: Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Theology of the Laity, The World of the Sacraments, and The Catholic Priesthood: A 360 Degree View.

OTHER CATHOLIC PRACTICAL THEOLOGY BOOKS

Keep the Basket away from the Casket: Seven Indictments against the Collection of Mass Offerings in Church

by Fr. Eugen Nkardzedze

TESTIMONIALS

“Excellent. Well written. Message to the point. We need it. Publish it.” – Bishop George Nkuo, Bishop of Kumbo. 

“This book is a catechetical treasure, rich with theological reflections on the collection and use of money in the Church. It is a well-articulated theology of money with appropriate and apt biblical references that emphasize the divine preference of mercy to sacrifice, the role of charity as the kingpin of all virtues, and that abuse of money does not take away its use.” – Rev. Kushu Solii Ngah (Ph.D/STD Syst, Theo.) [from the book’s Foreword)

“Thank you for writing this book, and may it be used in many houses of priestly formation.” – Dcn James Keating, PhD, Prof of Spiritual Theology, Kenrick Glennon Seminary, St Louis Missouri.

“This slim publication is a treasure trove that should be publicised throughout the Church in Cameroon – not only in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda. Hence, the urgent need to consider a French edition.”
– Martin Jumbam, author of From the Highlands of Nkar to the World

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fr. Eugen Nkardzedze is a priest from the Diocese of Kumbo serving as fidei donum in the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. He received a PhD in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. He recently published the very high selling The Spirituality of Humor and Laughter: Why Good Things Happen to Bad People.

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From Where Shall Come Our Help? The Lament of Abused Persons

by Henry Onwusoro Ogbuji

TESTIMONIALS

“Fr. Dr. Henry O. Ogbuji’s book, From Where Shall Come Our Help? The Lament of Abused Persons, sheds light on the nature of domestic violence and its impacts in Nigeria. He uses the Psalmist’s lament (Ps 121:1) as a guide to help readers understand the plight, frequency, forms, and responses to domestic violence against women. Unfortunately, Nigerian laws do not criminalize the perpetrators of domestic violence due to a male-centered perspective. Fr. Henry stresses that recognizing domestic violence as a problem is the first step to finding potential solutions. This book is an invitation to theological and scholarly discourse on this evil that affects the most vulnerable population in Nigeria and beyond. It is an essential book for everyone.” —Sr. Adaku H Ogbuji, CCVI, PhD, author of Dealing Effectively with Domestic Abuse: The Ministry of Reconciliation and Healing

“Henry Ogbuji offers an insightful analysis of the crisis of domestic violence in Nigeria. Drawing from a wealth of theological sources, the author puts forward an ecclesial framework to address the effects of violence towards the most vulnerable, especially women. This study is a valuable resource to pastors, preachers, priests, community organisers, and educators supporting healthy and robust communities of faith.” —Luis Menendez-Antuna, Assistant Professor of New Testament, Boston University School of Theology

“Rev. Dr. Henry Ogbuji masterfully articulated the devastating consequences of domestic violence in Nigeria and offered profound theological and scholarly solutions to address this malaise. From Where Shall Come Our Help is a must-read and should serve as a vade mecum for all clergy, counselors, therapists, and everyone involved in caring for victims of domestic violence. I hope this work will sting civil and ecclesiastical leaders to consciousness to do more to prevent domestic violence and provide resources for victims.” —Dr. Aloyius Sunny Ochasi, Clinical Bioethicist and Professor, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry Onwusoro Ogbuji is a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria. Ordained in 2003, he has served his diocese in various pastoral and administrative capacities as associate pastor, pastor and associate Diocesan Finance Administrator. One of the major pastoral challenges he has had as a pastor involved ministering to victims of domestic violence. Hence, it became an area of interest for him during his graduate studies in the US. He obtained a Master’s degree in Theology at Boston College (2017) and a doctorate in Transformational Leadership from Boston University (2022). Upon graduation from Boston University, the author returned to his home diocese in Nigeria and has since been engaged in pastoral ministry. Writing is poignant aperture to share his uniquely striking ministerial and academic experiences with a wider audience.

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Adicción a la Pantalla: Por Qué no Puedes Colgar ese Teléfono

por Sor Marysia Weber, RSM

Subtítulos en español

INTERVIEWS

Relevant Radio – The Drew Mariani Show: intro & discussion with Sister begins at 42:25, ends 53:31: https://relevantradio.com/2019/10/uncommitted-sex/

TESTIMONIOS

“Algunos de nosotros solíamos ser soñadores despiertos, lo cual era bastante inofensivo a menos que perdiéramos el contacto con la realidad. Hoy en día, la mayoría de nosotros nos hemos convertido en YouTubers, también bastante inofensivos hasta que pierdes el contacto con las personas que te rodean. Lo que puede convertirse en una adicción grave, una adicción a las pantallas. Eso es lo que Sor Marysia Weber escribe en este excelente libro. Siendo una médica psiquiatra calificada, ella sabe de lo que está hablando. El libro no solo es extremadamente informativo, sino también muy práctico al brindarnos herramientas poderosas para ayudarnos, a nuestros hijos, a nuestros adolescentes y a nuestros adultos jóvenes. Es una mina de oro.” – Dr. Gerard M. Verschuuren, Genetista

“Sor Marysia Weber, R.S.M., nos ha dado en su libro Adicción a la Pantalla: Por Qué no Puedes Colgar ese Teléfono una explicación útil de por qué nos estamos involucrando cada vez más, con nuestros dispositivos, en las redes sociales. Nos sugiere, asimismo, de soluciones prácticas sobre cómo poner fin a ese comportamiento adictivo para mantener salud personal y bienestar social”. – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP

Council of Major Superior of Women Religious presents…

The New Media and Religious Life: How an Awareness of the Benefits and Risks of Electronic Media Assists and Hinders the Consecrated Religious in Communicating the Love of Jesus Christ

featuring
Sister Marysia Weber, RSM, D.O., and Sister Mary Prudence Allen, RSM, Ph.D.

ACERCA DEL AUTOR

La hermana Marysia Weber es una religiosa de la Congregación de la Misericordia de Alma, Míchigan. Es médica, certificada por la Junta Americana de Psiquiatría y Neurología. Completó su residencia y beca en la Clínica Mayo de Rochester, Minnesota. Recibió el premio Howard P. Rome, MD Writing and Clinical Research Award, de la Clínica Mayo, Departamento de Psiquiatría y Psicología. Tiene un máster en Teología por la Universidad de Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. Ejerció la psiquiatría en la clínica médica multidisciplinar de su instituto religioso, el Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center de Alma, Míchigan, entre 1988 y 2014. Ha trabajado como consultora experta en psicología para la Secretaría del Clero, la Vida Consagrada y las Vocaciones de la Conferencia Episcopal de Estados Unidos (USCCB) y el Comité Ad Hoc sobre Abuso Sexual. En 2014 fue nombrada directora de la Oficina de Vida Consagrada de la Arquidiócesis de Saint Louis. Ha sido facilitadora de Rachel’s Vineyard y miembro de la junta ejecutiva de la Asociación Médica Católica de Saint Louis Guild. Ha formado parte del Consejo Pastoral Arquidiocesano, la Junta de Revisión y la Junta de Entornos Seguros. También ha sido instructora clínica en el Departamento de Psiquiatría de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Washington en Saint Louis, Misuri. Continúa su labor como presidenta de la junta directiva de MyCatholicDoctor y con el Consejo de Formación del Seminario, formando a formadores del seminario y mentores pastorales en el Arte del Acompañamiento. Recientemente ha sido enviada a Tulsa, Oklahoma, donde ejerce como vicepresidenta de misión y ministerio y copresidenta del comité de ética del Sistema de Salud San Francisco.

La Dra. Weber ofrece talleres sobre diversos temas, entre ellos el apego humano, los límites y el desarrollo del carácter, la depresión y la ansiedad, el diálogo y la resolución de conflictos, así como sobre las redes sociales y sus efectos en el cerebro, dirigidos a clérigos, seminaristas, comunidades religiosas de mujeres y hombres, padres, profesores y estudiantes. Imparte conferencias sobre la adicción a la pornografía en Internet —un enfoque católico del tratamiento— a obispos, clérigos, seminaristas, comunidades religiosas y laicos de todo Estados Unidos y Europa. En 1992, presentó ante los obispos estadounidenses en Dallas, Texas, una ponencia sobre «Pedofilia y otras adicciones». Fue miembro del Comité Ad Hoc sobre Abuso Sexual de la USCCB (Conferencia Episcopal Católica de Estados Unidos) en 1994-1995. La Dra. Weber ha presentado ante la Curia, en la Ciudad del Vaticano, una ponencia sobre «Abuso sexual de menores por parte del clero en Norteamérica» en 2002.

Entre las publicaciones de la Dra. Weber se incluyen: El arte del acompañamiento: pasos prácticos para el mentor pastoral, que ofrece a los formadores un marco integral para acompañar a los diáconos transitorios en su preparación final para el sacerdocio (https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/practicalsteps/). Publicó una segunda edición de su libro: El arte del acompañamiento: pasos prácticos para el formador del seminario, que incorpora aspectos del enfoque transformacional del Programa para la formación sacerdotal, 6.^a edición (https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/artofaccompaniment/).

Su libro Screen Addiction: Why You Can’t Put that Phone Down (Adicción a la pantalla: por qué no puedes dejar el teléfono), ahora también disponible en español (https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/screenaddiction/), describe cómo el exceso de tiempo frente a la pantalla altera el cerebro y ofrece muchos consejos prácticos para abordar estos efectos. También tiene dos capítulos en Spiritual Husband-Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century (Maridos espirituales, padres espirituales: formación sacerdotal para el siglo XXI), entre los que se incluyen: «Guía para el formador del seminario para comprender y evaluar los niveles de preocupación por el uso de la pornografía en Internet y un proceso formativo para pasar del vicio a la virtud» https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/).

Entre sus otras publicaciones se incluyen «Aspectos médicos de la adicción»; «La Iglesia católica romana y el abuso sexual de menores por parte de sacerdotes y religiosos en Estados Unidos y Canadá: ¿qué hemos aprendido? ¿Hacia dónde vamos?»; «Pornografía, medios electrónicos y formación sacerdotal» en Homiletic and Pastoral Review. Sus publicaciones en Seminary Journal incluyen: «Indicadores significativos de la maduración humana aplicados a la selección y formación de seminaristas»; «El discernimiento de la vocación sacerdotal y la experiencia de la psiquiatría y la psicología»; y «La pornografía en Internet y la formación sacerdotal: el medio y el contenido chocan con el cerebro humano».

OTHER PRACTICAL THEOLOGY BOOKS

Faith and Facebook: Evangelizing a Rural Parish Community in Southeast Missouri through Social Media

by Fr. Dominic Ibok, D.Min.

In Southeast Missouri, where Catholics are a minority, the challenge of diminishing participation and reduced membership requires an intentional engagement of the inactive members and the unaffiliated within the community. Unfortunately, many members of the laity do not have the awareness or skills to evangelize. In a rural community, the challenges seem more significant due to limited personnel and resources.

This book aims to equip the laity with the skills and tools to evangelize inactive Catholics and the unaffiliated. It involves their growing in prayer, study, generosity, evangelization, and the discernment of their charisms. With the benefit of social media engagement like Facebook live stream, an opportunity to engage and evangelize is available for our rural parish community. The resources from experienced lay evangelists in evangelization and social media engagement will provide a template that can enhance the development of a program on evangelization for my rural parish community.

To test the effectiveness of these resources, seventeen participants engaged in a nine-week program to learn how prayer, study, generosity, evangelization, the discernment of their charisms, and teamwork can prepare them for evangelization. This thesis engaged the inactive Catholics and the unaffiliated in rural Southeast Missouri by using Facebook live stream as an evangelization tool. The focus of this project is thus reminding active Catholics of their responsibility to evangelize and how utilizing a familiar social media portal like Facebook can enhance the process even in a rural community.

Paperback: $19.99 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Fr. Dominic has demonstrated once again that he is out-standing in his field!” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, co-author with Bishop Richard Henning of Missionary Priests in the Homeland: Our Call to Receive

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dominic O. Ibok was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and educated at Immaculate Conception High School Seminary, St. Joseph Major Seminary, and the Pontifical Urban University before completing his ordination studies at Kenrick School of Theology and his D.Min. studies at Aquinas Institute of Theology, both located in St. Louis, MO. He currently serves in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in southeastern Missouri as the pastor of both Immaculate Conception Parish in New Madrid and Sacred Heart Parish in Caruthersville and is a chaplain in the Missouri Army National Guard.

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