Blessing in Disguise Wins Catholic Arts & Letters Award

Pauline Books & Media is honored to announce that Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise, the third book in the Anna Mei trilogy, has won a Catholic Arts & Letters Award (CALA) from the Catholic Writers Guild. The CALA is awarded to works of fiction which have fulfilled the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval prerequisite guaranteeing the work displays sound Catholic doctrine and which have been deemed by judges as showcasing exemplary literary merit.

Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise (Pauline Kids, 2011) was submitted for consideration in the children’s contemporary fiction award category. This last installment in the Anna Mei series of novels for ages 8–12 follows the life of Anna Mei Anderson—the girl at school who has a weird cartoon-sounding name, an adoptive family she doesn’t even remotely resemble, and an unknown birth mother somewhere back in China—as she begins seventh-grade and has to cope with an annoying “boy genius” from Beijing. Anna Mei, Cartoon Girl (Pauline Kids, 2010) and Anna Mei, Escape Artist (Pauline Kids, 2011) complete the trilogy.

The trophy for Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise was presented at the 2013 Catholic Marketing Network (CMN) trade show in Somerset, New Jersey. A representative from the publishing house accepted the award on author Carol A. Grund’s behalf.

To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth: New Catholic Book

Deep in the heart of Communist Russia a young woman with fiery courage and tenacious spirit sought and discovered the ancient Wisdom which has existed from time immemorial. Enraptured, she sacrificed herself on the altar of selfless love and followed after this Truth which so enthralled her heart and captivated her mind.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, leaving behind all she had ever loved, Anna Ivanovna began her quest to give her entire life to this Truth she had found by becoming the first ever Byzantine Dominican Sister in Soviet Russia. Entirely a daughter of the Church and Saint Dominic, and entirely a daughter of Russia, Anna united these two identities in her own person into one dynamic whole while communist Russia attempted to tear them—and her—apart. Her quest would ultimately lead her to murder in the Butyrka prison in Moscow. A Martyr for the faith, a martyr for Russia—this is the story of how one woman’s daring faith brought hope and light to a country shrouded in the shadows of communism.

In To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth, Sr. Mary of the Sacred Heart, OP brings this heroine of Russia to the English speaking world. Sister is a contemplative, cloistered Dominican nun living in the Monastery of St. Jude in Marbury, Alabama.

In 1991 the first article about Dominicans in Russia was published in English and inspired Sister to begin research into their lives. In 2002 Sister travelled to Russia to spend three months learning the language and culture while exploring the possibility of founding a Dominican monastic community in Russia someday.

During her stay she was able to meet with some of the people who knew the Byzantine Dominican Sisters personally. To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth is the culmination of Sister’s studies and her first published book.

To Courageously Know and Follow After Truth has been published by DNS Publications, a publishing house of the Dominican Nuns of Summit. The book may be purchased in paperback through Amazon.com or through the online gift shop of the Dominican Nuns of Summit (http://summitdominicans.3dcartstores.com/). A Kindle version is available through Amazon. An excerpt of the Introduction may be found at the online gift shop of the Nuns.

A Catholic Assessment of Evolution Theory

The truth shall set you free, and John Wynne wishes to do just that with his publication of A Catholic Assessment of Evolution Theory. This book is a recent addition to the plethora of good Catholic publications on the origins science debate. It is a comprehensive A5 sized paper back book with over 535 pages of material to read & browse.

The book format is a wide margin with a font size 11, making it easy on the eyes and gentler on the mind. The pages contain well defined paragraphs, and are punctuated with clear sub headings as well. The angle taken on the origins science debate is primarily a philosophical one; to do with world views. The forward by Stephen Senne gives a very good portrayal of the essence of what is happening in the culture wars today. He illustrates this with an image of a breach in the fortress, and the need to begin repairing this breach.

Real origins science education

A Catholic Assessment of Evolution Theory is one of those books that will evoke a couple of responses by it’s readers. For the initiated, it will be a pleasure and an education at the same time. The initiated will be familiar with the origins science angle the author John Wynne takes.

This facilitates a higher learning process, whereby readers will learn the broader context of the origins science debate from a historical standpoint. You will gain real insights into the long developments that have lead to the popularization of Darwin’s theory of evolution. You will understand the long war against God, and will thus be able to circumvent strategies against the Catholic church in terms of your own interior life. You will be able to equip other like minded Christians after reading A Catholic Assessment of Evolution Theory.

For those uninitiated in the origins science debate, this book by John Wynne will literally blow you away. You will be fast tracked into an area of debate, gaining insights where you thought non existed. You’ll never look at theistic evolution in the same light again after reading through some of the many points made in this book. The philosophical nature of this book is easy to grasp, so you will not need a pontifical diploma in philosophy to comprehend the material within. A Catholic Assessment of Evolution Theory is a blend of history, philosophy and science, incorporating the magisterial perspective.

New Series Featuring Bishop Christopher Coyne to Air on the CatholicTV Network

The CatholicTV Network has new series with Bishop Christopher Coyne entitled, “Everything You Wanted to Know About Catholic Liturgy (but were afraid to ask)”. The new series is featured during the CatholicTV Network’s Blink programming.

Bishop Coyne uses his background in liturgy to answer questions about Catholic liturgy such as, “how late can I come to Mass and how early can I leave?” or “did you ever wonder why the priest drops a piece of the host into the chalice?”.

The first three segments of the “Everything You Wanted to Know About Catholic Liturgy (but were afraid to ask)” Blink series can be found on CatholicTV and www.CatholicTV.com. A new Blink segment will premiere at 9AM ET on June 26, 2013 exclusively on CatholicTV’s blog at Blog.CatholicTV.com. The series will continue to air new segments each week through September 2, 2013 on CatholicTV. Links to the series can also be found on Bishop Coyne’s Twitter at: www.twitter.com/BishopCoyne.

Bishop Coyne was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston on June 7, 1986 and he holds a bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a master’s of divinity from St. John Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, and a licentiate and a doctorate in liturgy from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute (St. Anselmo) in Rome.

Bishop Coyne has served the needs of the Archdiocese of Boston in many ways: as professor of Sacred Liturgy and Homiletics, as well as director of the Pre-Theology Program at St. John's Seminary, Brighton; as Archdiocesan Director for the Office of Worship as well as Cabinet Secretary for Communications and Archdiocesan Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston.

Pope Benedict XVI named Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on January 14, 2011. He served as auxiliary to Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, until he retired in September 2011. Bishop Coyne was named apostolic administrator of the archdiocese by the pope and served in that role until December 3, 2012, when Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin was installed as the sixth archbishop of Indianapolis. Archbishop Tobin will receive a pallium during a special Mass on Saturday, June 29. CatholicTV will air this Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica.