St. Pio of Pietrelcina had a deep devotion to the Christ Child. The man more commonly known as Padre Pio also possessed extraordinary and unique mystical gifts: Jesus often came to him in the form of a little child. In Welcoming the Christ Child with Padre Pio, stories about the saint known for his stigmata and ability to bilocate are woven with scripture and prayer to help you experience Advent—Padre Pio’s favorite season—with greater hope and joy. Each day of Advent you will read an account from someone who knew Padre Pio, including his Capuchin brothers’ amazement as they witnessed Padre Pio walking the halls of the monastery, cradling an apparition of the Christ Child; the miraculous healing of Vera Marie Calandra, who was blessed by the Franciscan monk as an infant and whose parents later founded the National Centre for Padre Pio; and examples of the extraordinary spiritual gifts of this holy confessor, including his stigmata, his ability to bilocate and read hearts, and the healing gifts that flowed from his fervent devotion to the Holy Family. This book contains daily readings for Advent. Each day includes a quotation from Padre Pio, a short story about the saint, a scripture reflection, and prayer to help you follow this extraordinary saint’s example and welcome the Christ Child into your home and heart during Advent. An appendix includes additional resources and prayers to learn more about Padre Pio.

St. Pius of Peitrelcina had a deep devotion to the Christ Child. The man more commonly known as Padre Pio also possessed extraordinary and unique mystical gifts: Jesus often came to him in the form of a little child. In Welcoming the Christ Child with Padre Pio, stories about the saint known for his stigmata and ability to bilocate are woven with scripture and prayer to help you experience Advent--Padre Pio's favorite season--with greater hope and joy. Each day of Advent you will read an account from someone who knew Padre Pio, including his Capuchin brothers' amazement as they witnessed Padre Pio walking the halls of the monastery, cradling an apparition of the Christ Child; the miraculous healing of Vera Marie Calandra, who was blessed by the Franciscan monk as an infant and whose parents later founded the National Centre for Padre Pio; and examples of the extraordinary spiritual gifts of this holy confessor, including his stigmata, his ability to bilocate and read hearts, and the healing gifts that flowed from his fervent devotion to the Holy Family. This book contains daily readings for Advent as well as special entries for moveable feasts celebrated by Catholics around the world. Each day includes a quotation from Padre Pio, a short story about the saint, a scripture reflection, and prayer to help you follow this extraordinary saint's example and welcome the Christ Child into your home and heart during Advent. An appendix includes additional resources and prayers to learn more about Padre Pio.

Let the Holy Spirit lead you to the Living Water that feeds our well of faith. When asked about his spiritual gifts of healing, bilocation, prophecy, and stigmata, Padre Pio replied, “You know, they are a mystery to me, too.” While you might think he is just being modest, he is actually getting at the heart of how the Holy Spirit works in every Christian’s life. We can’t fully understand why God gives us certain gifts, but as we walk with Christ, we can engage with this mystery and journey towards holiness. In Welcoming the Holy Spirit with Padre Pio, Susan De Bartoli shares stories and wisdom from the life of this humble monk to show how we can use our unique spiritual gifts to love others and draw from the well of faith to encounter Christ in profound ways. Following the success of her Advent devotional, Welcoming the Christ Child with Padre Pio, Susan De Bartoli invites you to explore Padre Pio’s relationship with the third member of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who is the source of all spiritual gifts. Through the stories of this simple Capuchin priest, you’ll discover what is possible for those who surrender themselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. At Baptism, we all receive the fruits of the Spirit—gifts like wisdom, fortitude, and piety—that empower us to “dive deep” into the well of faith. The Holy Spirit also graces some of us with special charisms—supernatural gifts such as healing, teaching, or intercessory abilities—intended to serve the Church. In this book, you’ll learn how to nurture these gifts, just as Padre Pio did, so that even your “ordinary“ spiritual gifts and charisms can bless others and deepen your own faith. Each chapter offers quotations from Padre Pio, a short story about the saint, prayer, and reflection questions that you can apply to your own life, such as: What are my spiritual gifts and how have I seen them play out in my life already? Am I consistently drinking from the well of faith? What does the Lord want me to do with my life, and how can I use my spiritual gifts to serve the Church? Am I willing to surrender even the good things in my life to glorify the Lord? Welcoming the Holy Spirit with Padre Pio is the perfect companion for those who are already drawn to Padre Pio’s spirituality or anyone yearning to strengthen their relationship with the Holy Spirit. Through the example of this extraordinary saint, you will discover how continually drawing from the well of Living Water can drastically change your everyday walk with Christ.

Following the success of their bestselling devotional Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, youth ministry experts Katie Prejean McGrady and Tommy McGrady offer devotions for Advent and Christmas that help teens make sense of the things that matter most in their lives such as relationships, their future, and coping with stress. Realistic and easy to use, each daily devotion starts with a brief Bible quote that connects with a topic important to teens such as insecurity, pressure, trust, fitting in, finding hope, and choosing joy. A brief reflection helps teens consider the day’s topic through their faith. The McGradys sometimes offer comfort, hope, or reasons for joy in these reflections, while on other days they issue a challenge or two. Unlike many other seasonal prayer books, each day offers exercises and activities such as naming areas of teen’s lives where they want to be more hopeful or to trust God more. The result is a closer relationship with God. Each single-page, weekday devotion can be as brief as five minutes or as long as thirty if a teen chooses to do a bit extra with a feature called “Feel Ambitious?” This activity invites them to read, reflect, and respond to a longer scripture passage that connects to the day’s theme. Saturdays and Sundays offer additional challenges to reflect on the previous week and to look ahead to the next.

Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: First-Time Author, Spirituality Softcover (First Place) and a 2018 Association of Catholic Publishers Award: Inspirational (Second Place). For more than four-hundred years, Introduction to the Devout Life by Doctor of the Church St. Francis de Sales has been regarded as the essential guide to holiness and loving God. This spiritual classic takes on new life in Lift Up Your Heart, where Rev. John Burns has interpreted ten meditations for the modern reader and distilled them into a ten-day mini-retreat that can easily be completed in the midst of a busy life. This practical book goes right to the heart of helping you kick the habit of floating along on your spiritual journey to start actively pursuing holiness and devotion to God. During the course of the retreat, you'll learn the basics of forming a daily prayer routine, including how to offer yourself to God, meditate on his love, and maintain peace in the face of suffering and clarity in the midst of temptation. The meditations will help you: Adopt gratitude as a daily prayer practice. Examine and reorder your priorities and relationships to better reflect your love for God. Discern between good and evil in your life. Desire to love and serve as Jesus did. In a very real sense, Burns helps you take St. Francis de Sales as your spiritual director for ten days. As you do so, you’ll feel God’s fatherly love and restart your faith life, equipped with the tools to connect with God and live for heaven now.

Prayerfully journey through Lent with fresh and meaningful reflections on the daily Mass readings. In just minutes per day, the insightful meditations of Not by Bread Alone can deepen your experience of this solemn season of prayer and penance.