The
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) continues the tradition of
providing online resources for the Advent
and Christmas
seasons with daily suggestions for prayer, reflection and action beginning on
the first Sunday of Advent, December 1. The content is presented in a clickable
calendar format, with each date opening a page of suggestions and links.
The
calendars feature audioretreats in English and Spanish for the four Sundays of Advent and the
three Sundays of the Christmas season. The retreats were produced by Franciscan
Media and made possible by the bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign. The
half-hour audio retreats feature music, a Scripture reflection and Q&A from
a different bishop each week.
The
bishops hosting the retreats are Auxiliary Bishop Alberto Rojas of Chicago,
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, Arkansas, Bishop David J. Walkowiak of
Grand Rapids, Michigan, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for
the Military Services, and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois.
Bishops Rojas, Taylor and Malloy recorded their contributions in both English
and Spanish for the first, second and fourth Sundays of Advent, respectively. Bishop
Walkowiak is featured in the English retreat for the third Sunday and
Archbishop Broglio is the guest for the Spanish retreat for that week.
There
are threefeast day Sundays in the brief Christmas season. The retreats for the feast
of the Holy Family (December 29) feature Bishop John M. Quinn of Winona,
Minnesota (English) and Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros of Brooklyn, New York
(Spanish). Auxiliary Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Indianapolis is the guest
for the English retreat on Epiphany (January 5) and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio L.
Elizondo of Seattle is featured in the Spanish retreat for Epiphany. For the
final Sunday of Christmas, the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, Bishop Richard
J. Malone of Buffalo, New York, is featured in the English program and
Archbishop Thomas G.Wenski of Miami, the Spanish.
The
calendar is interspersed with excerpts from Pope Francis' audiences and
homilies from the first year of his papacy and observations on Catholic
doctrine and practices from the ForYour Marriage website's "Catholic101" series. Other resources highlighted on the calendars include a Festivalof Lesson and Carols podcast, alist of recommended holiday-themed movies from USCCB, and prayers and blessings
from the USCCB publication Catholic
Household Blessings and Prayers.
---
Francis: A Pope for Our Time (Humanix Books)
As the first Advent season begins and former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio prepares for his first Christmas Midnight Mass, take an incisive look at Pope Francis’s rise through the ecclesiastical ranks all the way to Saint Peter’s Throne. “Francis: A Pope for Our Time, The Definitive Biography,” authored by two highly-esteemed Argentine journalists, provides an in-depth analysis of Pope Francis’ youth, influences, doctrine, and potential to inspire a renewal of faith, not only within the Catholic Church, but the world-over.
From Bergoglio’s coming of age in the Peronist era and his role in Argentina’s darkest period, the Dirty War, to his volatile relationship with the Kirchners, and his views on everything from same-sex marriage and abortion to women’s issues and the crisis of world poverty, this book addresses the all of the key issues facing the new leader of the largest religious organization in the world.
“Francis: A Pope for Our Time” provides a concise look at the history and politics that have consumed Latin America, Argentina, and the Church, breaking the cult of secrecy that has long plagued the region as well as the institution. As Pope Francis has ignited a profound sense of pride in his compatriots, the authors describe the tremendous influence that Latin America stands to bring to the world stage.
This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.
Known as the “Black Pope” (for his Jesuit garb), the “Pope of the Poor,” and the “Third World Pope,” such monikers exemplify Pope Francis’ commitment to society’s most underprivileged and disenfranchised. In “Francis: A Pope for Our Time,” the authors bring clarity to the man and his work: his dedication to interreligious dialogue, accessibility to his community, and rejection of lavish excess in favor of simplicity that promises to bring real-world leadership to a modern Church desperate to emerge from old-world precepts.
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From Bergoglio’s coming of age in the Peronist era and his role in Argentina’s darkest period, the Dirty War, to his volatile relationship with the Kirchners, and his views on everything from same-sex marriage and abortion to women’s issues and the crisis of world poverty, this book addresses the all of the key issues facing the new leader of the largest religious organization in the world.
“Francis: A Pope for Our Time” provides a concise look at the history and politics that have consumed Latin America, Argentina, and the Church, breaking the cult of secrecy that has long plagued the region as well as the institution. As Pope Francis has ignited a profound sense of pride in his compatriots, the authors describe the tremendous influence that Latin America stands to bring to the world stage.
This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.
Known as the “Black Pope” (for his Jesuit garb), the “Pope of the Poor,” and the “Third World Pope,” such monikers exemplify Pope Francis’ commitment to society’s most underprivileged and disenfranchised. In “Francis: A Pope for Our Time,” the authors bring clarity to the man and his work: his dedication to interreligious dialogue, accessibility to his community, and rejection of lavish excess in favor of simplicity that promises to bring real-world leadership to a modern Church desperate to emerge from old-world precepts.
What is Advent? Glad You Asked.
Advent (Lat. ad-venio, to come to), according to present usage, is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days. With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches.
During this time the faithful are admonished to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.
from The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913
24 Hours That Changed the World : An Advent Study for Youth
During this time the faithful are admonished to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.
from The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913
24 Hours That Changed the World : An Advent Study for Youth
Ignatius Press to Release Pope's First Apostolic Exhortation
Pope Francis is an evangelist, someone who spreads the good news about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Francis’ humble, compassionate style and direct, yet thoughtful, manner of speaking has won him an audience among Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
In his The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), Pope Francis challenges all Christians to participate in the work of evangelizing — of sharing Christ’s love with others. This book is Francis’ first Apostolic Exhortation, a teaching document on a particular theme to encourage and challenge people. The Joy of the Gospel addresses the key subjects of the recent Synod of Bishops, which focused on the New Evangelization, an essential topic for the recent popes.
Ignatius Press is slated to release the book as a high-quality, hardcover, deluxe edition in December.
This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.
“Pope Francis is an evangelist extraordinaire,” said Ignatius Press President Mark Brumley. “He challenges us to grow in faith and to share our faith with others. That's what the ‘joy of the Gospel’ is all about. Ignatius Press is honored to make available Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation in this special deluxe edition.”
The highly anticipated The Joy of the Gospel will answer a number of evangelization-related questions, including: How to foster conversion in the Church in order to make her people more faithful and effective in communicating God’s love to others? Why is the place of missions in the modern world? What are the obstacles believers’ own lives sometimes place in the way of others’ coming to faith? What are the questions people have about faith? What attitudes make it hard for people to be receptive to the Christian message? How does Jesus answer the most fundamental questions of human existence? Is there a difference between evangelizing and proselytizing, between proposing faith and imposing it?
Pope Francis’ presentation of the Gospel is both timeless and timely. He proclaims the perennial Christian message in ways that engage the contemporary world. He calls upon all followers of Jesus to be humble and yet bold in sharing the Gospel with others and to embody that teaching in their own lives.
In his The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), Pope Francis challenges all Christians to participate in the work of evangelizing — of sharing Christ’s love with others. This book is Francis’ first Apostolic Exhortation, a teaching document on a particular theme to encourage and challenge people. The Joy of the Gospel addresses the key subjects of the recent Synod of Bishops, which focused on the New Evangelization, an essential topic for the recent popes.
Ignatius Press is slated to release the book as a high-quality, hardcover, deluxe edition in December.
This treasury of prayers, now released on Kindle, will help you go to the Lord with courage and pray to receive God's grace.
“Pope Francis is an evangelist extraordinaire,” said Ignatius Press President Mark Brumley. “He challenges us to grow in faith and to share our faith with others. That's what the ‘joy of the Gospel’ is all about. Ignatius Press is honored to make available Pope Francis' first apostolic exhortation in this special deluxe edition.”
The highly anticipated The Joy of the Gospel will answer a number of evangelization-related questions, including: How to foster conversion in the Church in order to make her people more faithful and effective in communicating God’s love to others? Why is the place of missions in the modern world? What are the obstacles believers’ own lives sometimes place in the way of others’ coming to faith? What are the questions people have about faith? What attitudes make it hard for people to be receptive to the Christian message? How does Jesus answer the most fundamental questions of human existence? Is there a difference between evangelizing and proselytizing, between proposing faith and imposing it?
Pope Francis’ presentation of the Gospel is both timeless and timely. He proclaims the perennial Christian message in ways that engage the contemporary world. He calls upon all followers of Jesus to be humble and yet bold in sharing the Gospel with others and to embody that teaching in their own lives.
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