Since 1965 the number of priests in the United States has fallen by some 30,000. But over that same time period, more than 30,000 laypeople have come into the employ of parishes and other Church institutions. Laypeople have stepped up to serve in a variety of new ministries, and they are relieving their pastors of many administrative burdens, enabling them to focus on their proper priestly duties. Lay teachers now outnumber nuns, brothers, and priests in Catholic schools by at least 19 to ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"User-friendly...The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything...helpfully unpacks core precepts like ‘finding God in all things.’" —TimeThe Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by Father James Martin, SJ (bestselling author of Jesus and Learning to Pray) is a practical spiritual guidebook rooted in Ignatian spirituality that shows you how to manage relationships, money...

Over the past 20 years, Matthew Kelly has seen more of the world than most presidents and more of the Church than most bishops. Now, in this unique and timely book, he proposes that Catholicism is not a lifeless set of rules and regulations , but a way of life designed by God to help each person reach his or her full potential. With remarkable insight, Kelly dispels dozens of myths that surround the rejection of Catholicism today and provides a profound and practical vision of what will le...

As human beings we are constantly engaging and disengaging in everything we do. We engage and disengage at work, in marriage, as parents, in our quest for health and well-being, in personal finances, environmentally, politically, and, of course, we engage or disengage spiritually. If you walk into any Catholic church next Sunday and look around, you will discover that some people are highly engaged, others are massively disengaged, and the majority are somewhere in between. Why? What is th...

Uplifting and thought provoking, this collection of sayings by Benedict XVI provides an accessible introduction to his theology and his approach to modern-day faith. The pope is perhaps the most influential and important religious leader in the world, yet despite his high office, Benedict XVI has much to teach about humility and spiritual life. Each quotation brings fresh insights and allows us to experience anew the depth and humanity of the Catholic faith.

With a Foreword by Scott Hahn, bestselling author of *The Lamb's SupperGod has something extraordinary planned for your life . . .*In our fast-paced, highly technological world, this statement might sound a bit lofty, but the lives of millions of souls who have come before us attest to this simple truth:God has a wonderful plan in store for you.With these words*,* Tom Peterson, founder and president of Cath...

In their zeal for reform, early Protestant leaders tended to throw out Saint Benedict with the holy water. That is a mistake, writes Dennis Okholm, in Monk Habits for Everyday People. While on retreat in a Benedictine abbey, the author, a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist, observed how the meditative and ordered life of a monk lifted Jesus' teachings off the printed page and put them into daily practice. Vital aspects of devotion, humility, obedience, hospita...

Ann Garrido’s 2009 article in America magazine on the spirituality of administration in Catholic settings created a wave of demand in this successful academic administrator’s already full speaking schedule. Garrido admits that she sometimes finds administration draining, even boring, as it fractures her days into “tiny shards of time” that make it impossible to focus on “the big ideas.” And yet she has found spiritual gifts in her many years as a theologian, parish minister, and a...

Vatican II is known to every Catholic at least by name, but were a little skimpy on the details. What happened there? Why did it take place? Why have there been mixed reactions to it? Most importantly, what is the impact of the Second Vatican Council on the People of the Church now?

We all know someone—a parent, sibling, aunt or uncle, coworker, grandparent, child, neighbor, or friend—who has either left the Church or never discovered it. We want them to know the joy and peace we’ve discovered, but the last thing we want to do is to force our faith on them. So how can we bring our loved ones back to the Church? Jesus was the first and greatest evangelizer. As his disciples, we’re called to share in his mission—to spread his message to others. But going outside your co...

Reaching for God is a compendium of Benedictine life and prayer for oblates. It brings together in one volume the essence of Benedictine spirituality-its history, its relevance through the ages and in the present, and a summary of the most fundamental gifts and values it offers for living a meaningful life. Here, the meaning and purpose of the oblate way of life is explained in a clear and encouraging way. Werner offers guidance and examples of prayer to enrich any spiritual life....

Questioning and renegotiating the authority, roles, responsibilities, and relationships between lay and ordained leaders has become the order of the day for the church. In her new book for clergy and congregations, leadership expert Katherine Tyler Scott provides models and spiritual practices to feed the growing hunger in our churches for grounded spiritual authority.