Since the early days of his pontificate, Pope Francis has challenged us to reclaim the "good news" of the Gospel and to allow that good news to heal shattered lives. He is an evangelist of hope who models true servant leadership and whose witness to joy has changed the Church and the world. This small volume brings together the reflections of five leaders in the deacon community in the United States on the joy-filled witness of Pope Francis and what his message means for deacons today.

After Pope Francis declared 2020 the year of St. Joseph, interest in the patriarch of the Holy Family and patron of the Universal Church was heightened worldwide.In Befriending St. Joseph, popular blogger Deacon Greg Kandra leads you on a journey of imaginative exploration and spiritual renewal rooted in the few Bible stories where Joseph is written about. This book offers a fresh take on the centuries-old devotion known as the Seven Sorrows of St. Joseph and provides an o...

Winner of a first-place award in the collection of prayers category from the Catholic Media Association.Greg Kandra’s A Deacon Prays—the essential prayer book for Catholic deacons—is a practical, daily companion that speaks to deacons as no other book has because it comes from Kandra, creator of The Deacon’s Bench blog and one of the most popular voices and enthusiastic advocates of the diaconate in the Church today.Kandra left a ...

Beloved author Deacon Greg Kandra knows all too well what it is to be busy. Drawing from his own experience and those of fellow Catholics and the saints’ lives, Deacon Kandra helps us realize the importance of prayer and offers practical tips for making it a part of each day. Prayer includes regular participation in the sacraments (Mass, Confession) but is also about a constant communication with God and a way to plan our day each morning and evaluate our progress each evening. How is God ...

Meet Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. Get to know him through his words, actions, choices, and gestures, from his childhood in Chicago to his years as a priest, Augustinian, and missionary. Hear the distinct voice of the man who has answered the call to lead the Church with renewed zeal and purpose. This book also includes the full text of Pope Leo's his first apostolic exhortation, "Dilexi Te" ("I have loved you"), an invitation to contemplate Christ’s love and be attentive to the s...

The Door Has Closed. The Invitation Endures.The Jubilee Year of Hope may have drawn to a close, and the Holy Doors of Rome may now be shut—but the grace they signify is not bound by a calendar. What the Church celebrated in 2025 was not a moment confined to history, but a living invitation: to conversion, renewal, and hope rooted in Christ.During that extraordinary year, pilgrims from around the world crossed the threshold of St. Peter’s Basilica, marking a...

Modeled on the fifteenth-century classic The Imitation of Christ, this well-loved Clarence Enzler masterwork helps Christians today hear the voice of Christ. In this powerful book, Christ addresses you personally as “my other self,” urging you to embody his love and compassion for others.Through a creative dialogue between Jesus and the reader, Clarence Enzler leads you through the journey of the Christian life, beginning with the call to live in friendship with Christ and...