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 ...

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...

Many Catholics view fasting as hard, burdensome, weird, or only for Lent. This little book demonstrates that fasting can be so much more than that! It's an opportunity for prayer, reflection, and solidarity with the suffering of the world.The Handy Little Guide to Fasting is your easy-to-read, down-to-earth introduction to this ancient practice. Author, speaker, and award-winning journalist Deacon Greg Kandra presents a way to blend faith and fortitude to ...

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...

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.Winner of a first-place award in the collection of prayers category from the Catholic Media Association.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...

A guide for those who seek prosperityA novena is a nine day period of prayer to obtain a special intention or grace. Novena for Prosperity is a guide for those who seek prosperity or have a special petitions to God. It contains prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Angels, Holy Spirit and the Prayer of the Blood of Christ. For each day of the Novena there is a testimony and a practice.

This personal Way of the Cross from the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network beautifully expresses the deep connection between the Eucharist and the Cross. At each of the fourteen stations, readers are encouraged to offer themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by uniting their sufferings with his in the Eucharist.The spirituality of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network comes to life in meditations on the classic Catholic Lenten devotion, the Stations of the Cross. Recalling the dramatic...

This Guide is intended for anyone who wants to learn how to pray The Prayer of the Church, also known as the Divine Office, Liturgy of Hours or Breviary. Promoted by the Church as a Prayer for the whole People of God (not only for religious or ordained), this Guide gets down to the basics of how to use the breviary itself, as well as suggesting how to pray well. It is intended for beginners, whether sharing in community or praying the hours alone. It can be used as a self-tutorial or a wor...

“Fasting is the body talking what the spirit yearns, what the soul longs for, and what the mind knows to be true.”— Scot McKnightChristianity has traditionally been at odds with the human body. At times in the history of the church, Christians have viewed the body and physical desires as the enemy. Now, Scot McKnight, best-selling author of The Jesus Creed , reconnects the spiritual and the physical in the ancient discipline of fasting.Inside You'll Find: