In this richly illustrated spiritual pilgrimage, explore the beauties and blessings of the Marian shrines and holy places of France with the Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, as your spiritual director and guide. You've accompanied Fr. Joe to Fatima and Rome. Now come along on the journey of a lifetime to the "eldest daughter of the Church": France! This latest A Pilgrimage with Mary immerses you in some of the many shrines, apparition sites, and gorgeous landscapes of France. From Lourdes to Laus, from Rue du Bac to Prouille, journey in spirit across the length and breadth of a land Our Lady has visited many times, discovering a spiritual landscape full of indescribable riches and extraordinary devotions. With the Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, as your spiritual director and guide, become immersed in the history of powerful Marian devotions given to us through some of the many French saints, visionaries, and mystics. Rich in beauty and blessings, this book will inspire you to ope

"Whether describing mystical visions or the rhythms of everyday life, Erickson turns the spiritual journey into a series of exciting transformations." ÑPublishers WeeklyÊ(starred review) From her childhood on an Iowa farm, Lori Erickson grew up to travel the world as a writer specializing in holy sitesjourneys that led her on an ever-deepening spiritual quest. InÊHoly Rover, she weaves her personal narrative with descriptions of a dozen pilgrimages. Along the way, Erickson encounters spiritual leaders who include the chief priest of the Icelandic pagan religion of Asatru, a Trappist monk at Thomas Merton's Gethsemani Abbey, and a Lakota retreat director at South Dakota's Bear Butte. Both irreverent and devout,ÊHoly RoverÊincludes images of holy sites around the world taken by several of the nation's leading travel photographers. Travel writer, Episcopal deacon, and author of the Holy Rover blog atÊPatheos, Erickson is an engaging guide for pilgrims eager to take a spiritual journey. Her book describes travels that changed her life and can change yours, too.

"Life, in the end, has only one tragedy: not to have been a saint." – Léon Bloy The ever-popular and prolific Peter Kreeft says that the most important question he has written about is how one becomes holy; or to put it another way, how one becomes a saint. This question is central to all the great religions, Kreeft demonstrates, for striving toward holiness, moving toward perfect love, is the whole purpose of life. Kreeft admits that he is only a beginner on the climb to holiness, and it is to novices like him that he has written this engaging and encouraging book. Using the insights and experiences of saints and great spiritual writers throughout history, Kreeft shows what holiness is and how it can be achieved. He especially draws upon the spiritual classic Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J. The core of Caussade's timeless gem is that God reveals himself to all of us through the daily events of our lives. The surest way toward spiritual growth, therefore, is by perceiving and accepting the merciful will of God in every situation. Kreeft stresses the simplicity of his approach to holiness, which focuses mainly on the virtue of love. Sanctity is love, he asserts, and only that can give us what we all long for—deep and lasting joy.

"An ideal guidebook to facing the inevitable." Foreword Reviews After her brother died unexpectedly and her mother moved into a dementia-care facility, spiritual travel writer and Episcopal deacon Lori Erickson felt called to a new quest: to face death head on, with the eye of a tourist and the heart of a pastor. Blending memoir, spirituality, and travel, Near the Exit examines how cultures confront and have confronted death, from Egypt's Valley of the Kings and Mayan temples, to a Colorado cremation pyre and Day of the Dead celebrations, to Maori settlements and tourist-destination graveyards. Erickson reflects on mortalityâ€"the ways we avoid it, the ways we cope with it, and the ways life is made more precious by accepting itâ€"in places as far away as New Zealand and as close as the nursing home up the street. Throughout her personal journey and her travels, Erickson  helps us to see that one of the most life-affirming things we can do is to invite death along for the ride.

Marie Proulx-Meder spent four summers photographing homegrown ¿Mary Gardens¿ ¿ outdoor statues of Our Lady, usually in a setting, often incorporating flowers. It is the author¿s deepest desire that those seeking comfort, peace and our Blessed Mother¿s eternal love, will find it within these pages ¿ among the many faces of Mary.Features:* Bursting with 465 colored photographs. * Images of shrine setting, full statue and Mary¿s face.* Detailed statue ¿Overview¿, ¿Noteworthy¿ facts and inspiring ¿Personal Reflections¿. * ¿Beyond the Garden¿ section highlights Mary items and artwork from around the world.* ¿Common Titles of Mary¿ includes images and identifying features.* ¿Starting a Mary Garden¿ features flower symbolism with illustrations.