In this seven-day retreat, your director is Anthony of Padua, one of the earliest followers of St. Francis of Assisi. Beyond his reputation as a finder of lost objects, much more can be known about this complex yet simple genius the Catholic Church calls saint and doctor. Inspired as a young man by the the example of the first Franciscan martyrs, Anthony embarked upon a life balanced by preaching and example, learning and love. Through excerpts from his sermons, he invites readers to search with him to find Jesus and to live the Gospel.

These days more and more people are scheduling getaways to retreat centers for their spiritual well-being--over 1.2 million Catholics alone during 1997. Located throughout the United States and Canada, these centers cater to the needs of people seeking quiet time, regardless of religious affiliation. Retreat possibilities range from one day of solitude surrounded by nature, to a few days of quiet time under the guidance of a resident spiritual director, to a week experiencing the rigorous rhythms of community monastery life. In A PLACE FOR GOD, Timothy Jones shares the wisdom of his pilgrimages to retreat centers as diverse as a mountaintop hermitage overlooking the Pacific and a monastic oasis on Chicago's South Side. First he explains everything about retreats: what they are, why people go, how to prepare, what to pack, and what to do while there. Then he provides an extensive directory of over 250 retreat centers in all fifty states and Canada, complete with all the information readers need to contact the retreat center that is right for them. A PLACE FOR GOD is the perfect resource for anyone who wants to find spiritual fulfillment or simply a place to get away.

Luann Budd offers to help you get started journaling, and she introduces you to the power of writing as a spiritual discipline through helpful tips and examples from her own journals.

GOD HAS BEEN GOD FOR US In 1929, just at the onset of the Great Depression, San Antonio diocesan priest, Peter Baque, pastor of St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church on North Broadway, found himself unable to meet the needs of a segment of his parish then known as "Cementville." This small village was a company town under the auspices of the Alamo Portland Cement Company whose residents all worked in the cement quarry on the northern edge of Baque's parish. Baque, believing that the people of Cementville would be receptive to the ministry of women religious, decided that this was the time to begin a community of women who would be especially ready to "reach out with a loaf of bread in one hand and the love of Christ in the other." With the help of Eugenie Olivier Edwards, the widowed mother of nine living children who professed her vows as Mother Theresa, Baque began the Missionary Servants of St. Anthony. God Has Been God for Us chronicles the eighty-year history of this religious community. From the depression years until the present day, the Sisters have supported Father Baque's dream to foster devotion to St. Anthony de Padua through the Shrine to St. Anthony which is now an adoration chapel on their property in front of St. Anthony de Padua Parish. Other ministries of the Missionary Servants established during these 80 years include a home for Catholic working girls in downtown San Antonio; a day nursery now celebrating 75 years of service; Padua Place, a home for infirm or aging priests in its 50th year of operation; and a retreat center located at the motherhouse property at 100 Peter Baque Road. Relying solely on the providential care of God, the Missionary Servants of St. Anthony evidence the character of missionaries instilled in them by Father Baque and the humility and simplicity of servitude modeled for them by Mother Theresa. Their story will inspire the reader to say with them "God has been God for me." Sister Diane Langford, CDP, a Sister of Divine Providence for 30 years, writes, gives retreats, and teaches adult Catholics who want to grow in the faith. This is her third book. She has written a manual to be used in teaching adults who are preparing to be Catholics and The Tattered Heart, a historical fiction biography of Mother St. Andrew Feltin, Texas foundress of the Sisters of Divine Providence of San Antonio, Texas.

Find the practice that’s right for you with this exploration of the many paths of meditation—from mantra, prayer, singing, visualizations, and “just sitting” to movement meditations such as tai chi “Everyone has experienced a moment of pure awareness. A moment without thinking ‘I am aware’ or ‘that is a tree.’ Such moments bring a sense of rightness, of clarity, of being at one. Such moments are the essence of meditation.”—Ram Dass Ram Dass is an American psychologist and spiritual teacher who has studied and practiced meditation for many years. Here he shares his understanding and suggests how you can find methods suitable for you. He illuminates the stages and benefits of meditative practice, and provides wise and often humorous advice on overcoming difficulties along the way.

The biographic text of St. Anthony is presented complete in this edition for the reader's absorption and contemplation. First published in the 4th century A.D., Anthony the Great's biography was authored by Christian Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. Since its release, the book has helped spread the beliefs, practices and arduous faith of Anthony the Great. A significant progenitor of the monastic tradition, Saint Anthony lived an ascetic lifestyle in the arid lands of Egypt. Although not the earliest of religious figures committed to this tradition, through actions and preaching Anthony helped popularise and spread principles that would contribute heavily to the establishment of Christian monasteries in Europe and beyond. One event in St. Anthony's life was his encounter with the supernatural in the remote Egyptian desert. This occurrence, where the otherworldly presence tried to tempt him from his spartan philosophy of living, is much recreated in Western art and literature.