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.

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

In Our Ultimate Hope, Max Lucado unpacks the undeniable problem of fallen mankind and the unshakable promise God offers of “no condemnation.” With scripted prayers and guided questions to help renew your soul, Our Ultimate Hope is the perfect companion to Unshakable Hope.The realization of our moral debt sends some people into a frenzy of good works. Life becomes an unending quest to do enough, be better, accomplish more. A pursuit of pie...

“Spiritually rewarding and uplifting.” — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New YorkNew York Times bestselling author and editor at large of America magazine Father James Martin reveals how we can turn to Christ completely in mind, heart, and soul. In this powerful work of Christian spirituality, Martin offers a portrait of Jesus, using his last words on the cross to reveal how deeply he understood our predicaments and shows us what it means to be fully human.Each medita...

Winner of a third-place award in the backlist beauty category from the Catholic Media Association.Catholic author and self-described “recovering worrier” Gary Zimak combines practical spirituality, daily scripture readings, and simple action steps to help you kick the worry habit as part of your Lenten renewal. He shows you how to let go of the anxiety-producing areas of life in order to find the lasting peace that comes from trusting God.During the season ...

As Catholics, the Mass should be a mountaintop experience for us. Often, though, we go through the motions at Mass without an appreciation for what has really happened. Popular speaker and author Mark Hart helps Catholics move beyond the repetition and ritual to see the Mass for what it really is: a heavenly banquet, a wedding feast, in which heaven and earth meet. In his engaging style, Hart guides readers toward a deeper understanding of the Mass—its roots in the Jewish Sabbath, its sacr...

Drawing on more than thirty years of ministry experience, Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., walks readers through a new way of relating to the Holy Spirit by sharing personal encounters, including an experience that changed his life. What he learned along the way will lead readers to have their own unique encounter and discover the joy of living a life moved by the Spirit.Catholics know God as their father and Jesus as their friend, yet most bypass the third person of the Holy Trinity i...