Like the author of Saints Off the Pedestal: Real Saints for Real People, you might wonder what model of holy living the saints can provide besides “be good, don’t stray, keep your eyes on the life beyond.”  We assume that spending time learning about these saints will teach us nothing, in our twenty-first-century sophistication, but there’s much more than you think, as Amanda Roberts discovered while writing this book.

Roberts takes a close look at saints like Peter, who failed so utterly as to do exactly what he had earlier said was impossible–betraying Jesus. Roberts points out that it is in these moments that we fallible human beings are touched by the living God who is ready to forgive and grace us with more love than we imagined possible. Reflections and reflection questions bring the lessons from each saint’s story into present-day struggles and concerns. As an example, Peter’s story is followed by such insightful questions as: How do you deal with your own failures and disappointments? How do you experience God’s abundant grace? Roberts also casts a discerning eye at the stories of Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Aloysius Gonzaga, Martin de Porres, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Katherine Drexel, and Therese of Lisieux. In all of these stories she finds the details and specific struggles that make the saint “real” to us,  that can touch, inform and inspire us on our own path to holiness and God.

"Of course!" average cradle Catholic women would say. They’ve been hearing about Mary for their entire lives. But, do you really know Mary? Is Mary the frozen beatific figurine on your living room mantle or spotlighted in your front yard grotto? Or can she be more?

That’s the question Ginny Kubitz Moyer asked readers of her blog at BustedHalo.com. The answers, from women readers aged 30 to 40 years, intrigued her, so she cast a wider net to include women of all ages. Her new book, Mary and Me, describes what she discovered about Mary from the many responses she received. The answers are as varied as the women themselves. As she writes in the introduction to this book, “Their stories form the heart of this book. Woven together, they create a tapestry of ways that Mary speaks to women’s lives, a gathering of remembrances and reflections and insight.”

Mary is a source of help and inspiration to these women in varied and often surprising ways. Whatever you think you know about Mary, Mary and Me will expand your vision of the Mother of God.

Best-selling author Mark E. Thibodeaux, S.J. (Armchair Mystic: Easing Into Contemplative Prayer and God, I Have Issues: 50 Ways to Pray No Matter How You Feel), is booked for the following speaking engagements:
• April 9, Pineville, Louisiana at Maryhill Renewal Center: “From Deciding to Discerning: Turning Over Your Decisions to God.” For more info, call 318-640-1378.
• July 17-20, Lake Dallas, Texas at Montserrat Retreat House: “Ignatian Prayer and Contemplation.” More info here.
• December 6, Baton Rouge, Louisiana at St. Joseph Spirituality Center: “Prayer and Contemplation.” For more info, call 225-383-3349.

Author Ginny Kubitz Moyer’s new book, Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God, has received much praise for offering a fresh, compelling look at the depth and breadth of Mary’s influence on women today. Read a full review online at BustedHalo. Also, visit the author’s Web site.

Joe Barrish, S.M., illustrator for Mary’s Flowers: Gardens, Legends, and Meditations and Healing Plants of the Bible both by Vincenzina Krymow, is part of a group of Marianists who exchange Scripture thoughts on a daily basis. As part of his daily meditation, he spends about an hour and a half creating a spiritual image. “They are kind of ‘works in progress,’” he says. “Some are in color and many are in black and white.” Check out some of his unique and inspiring work……….Be sure to refer to Mary’s Flowers for a complete look at his work, which depicts 30 beautiful full-color illustrations with the guided meditations they inspire.

George Dardess, author of Do We Worship the Same God? Comparing the Bible and the Qur’an, is co-authoring with his wife, Peggy Rosenthal, a book tentatively titled, Reclaiming Beauty for the Good of the World: The Moral Power of Muslim and Christian Creativity. George will expanding on this timely topic of interreligious dialog at the following speaking engagements:

• “Loving the Muslim,” a Lenten reflection on March 11, at Church of the Assumption, Fairport, New York, 7 to 9 p.m.

• “Sharing Holy Ground with Muslims,” a Lenten reflection on March 13, at Covenant United Methodist Church, Rochester, New York, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

• “Muslim-Christian Dialogue Today,” with Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, Imam of the Islamic Center of Rochester, New York, on Charlotte Clarke’s syndicated “Many Voices, Many Visions” TV show, to be aired Easter Sunday, March 23.

• Afternoon workshop with students at Corning Community College, Corning, New York, on March 27, and after-dinner presentation on “The Muslim Tradition of Social Justice” for local peace and justice and interfaith groups. Both events open to public. Contact Peter Ladley.

• “What Catholics Need to Know About Islam” at the First Friday Club of Youngstown, Ohio, April 3, noon to 1 p.m.

• “A Catholic Meets Islam” at Family Education Speakers Program, Clyde, New York, April 13, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Peggy Rosenthal, author of Praying the Gospels through Poetry: Lent to Easter and wife of George Dardess, will offer a day-long retreat on poetry and spirituality at Aquinas Center of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta on Saturday, March 8, 2008. To register, please contact Professor Dana Greene. 

Be sure to tune in for author Tammy Bundy’s radio broadcast every Wednesday at 6:40 a.m. on Sacred Heart Radio (740 AM) during the Son Rise Morning show. Tammy, author of The Book of Mom: What Parents Know by Heart and co-author of Lessons From the School of Suffering, covers family and faith topics during her five-minute time slot, often sharing stories from her books.
 Update: EWTN Global Catholic radio will begin carrying Tammy’s radio spots, sending them out across America to their affiliates throughout the United States. The spots will be pre-recorded, two-minute versions of the live spots. They will air during different times as fillers. Stay tuned for more details.

Congratulations to author Camille Lewis Brown, PH.D., who is honored as “Author of the Month” on the National Black Catholic Congress Web site! Her book, African Saints, African Stories: 40 Holy Men and Women, is featured as “Book of the Month.” Visit the NBCC Web site.