One winter day, Michio Fujiwara, a high school student, finds an oval-shaped medal beside a statue of the Blessed Mary at a church. It is a “Miraculous Medal” of the Immaculate Mary. Fifteen years later, Michio has become a young and spirited artist, painter and sculptor. He creates a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta that is unveiled at a ceremony to open the Museum of the Virgin Mary, and it wins him highest praise. Two years later, however, the statue is vandalized by someone. What is the purpose of destroying the Pieta? Why does Mary in the Pieta keep shedding tears? What was the true grief of Mary as she stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross? Mysterious incidents occur one after another in Kyoto and in Italy regarding the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception that hinders the unity of the Christian Church.

One winter day, Michio Fujiwara, a high school student, finds an oval-shaped medal beside a statue of the Blessed Mary at a church. It is a “Miraculous Medal” of the Immaculate Mary. Fifteen years later, Michio has become a young and spirited artist, painter and sculptor. He creates a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta that is unveiled at a ceremony to open the Museum of the Virgin Mary, and it wins him highest praise. Two years later, however, the statue is vandalized by someone. What is the purpose of destroying the Pieta? Why does Mary in the Pieta keep shedding tears? What was the true grief of Mary as she stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross? Mysterious incidents occur one after another in Kyoto and in Italy regarding the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception that hinders the unity of the Christian Church.

One winter day, Michio Fujiwara, a high school student, finds an oval-shaped medal beside a statue of the Blessed Mary at a church. It is a “Miraculous Medal” of the Immaculate Mary. Fifteen years later, Michio has become a young and spirited artist, painter and sculptor. He creates a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta that is unveiled at a ceremony to open the Museum of the Virgin Mary, and it wins him highest praise. Two years later, however, the statue is vandalized by someone. What is the purpose of destroying the Pieta? Why does Mary in the Pieta keep shedding tears? What was the true grief of Mary as she stood at the foot of Jesus' cross? Mysterious incidents occur one after another in Kyoto and in Italy regarding the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception that hinders the unity of the Christian Church.

What it means to be a man or a woman is questioned today like never before. While traditional gender roles have been eroding for decades, now the very categories of male and female are being discarded with reckless abandon. How does one act like a gentleman in such confusing times? The Catholic Gentleman is a solid and practical guide to virtuous manhood. It turns to the timeless wisdom of the Catholic Church to answer the important questions men are currently asking. In short, easy- to-read chapters, the author offers pithy insights on a variety of topics, including • How to know you are an authentic man • Why our bodies matter • The value of tradition • The purpose of courtesy • What real holiness is and how to achieve it • How to deal with failure in the spiritual life

How do you walk with your children during times of struggle and crisis? Do you feel as if nothing you do will be enough? In Mary's Way, a heartfelt book for moms who struggle to guide children through the various stages of their lives, Catholic speaker and teacher Judy Landrieu Klein shows how her own crisis of faith helped her release her children to the care of the Blessed Mother. In doing so, Klein shows you how to find the love, joy, and peace of Our Lord as you surrender your will to him. Judy Landrieu Klein struggled with her faith as she lived through her son’s near-fatal addiction to drugs and her daughter’s painful anxiety. She discovered she couldn’t handle the relentless pressure of life not measuring up to her expectations and it was eating away at her family. Klein considered Mary’s reaction to the events in the life of Jesus. She meditated on Mary’s fiat and her prayer of total surrender to God’s will and saw how this act of obedience carried on throughout Mary’s life as she witnessed the life of her son. As Klein focused on her devotion to the Blessed Mother, her life and faith were transformed. In Mary’s Way, Klein reflects on the Annunciation and describes her own to struggle to embrace the will of God by surrendering control of her family planning. She meditates on Mary’s powerlessness during the Crucifixion, finding a place of calming surrender during her own son’s escalating battle with addiction. Klein shows how you can become a more powerful intercessor for yourself and your children. When you finish reading this book, you’ll find yourself turning to Mary and surrendering yourself and your children more fully to God.

These Advent reflections by the abbess of a Poor Clare monastery and accomplished spiritual writer focus our attention on the coming of Jesus into our lives. There is a double movement to this coming: our active preparation to be ready for him, on one hand, and our patient waiting for the Lord to arrive in his own good time, on the other. There is an art to this simultaneous preparing and waiting, and who knows better than the late and beloved Mother Mary Francis how to encourage us in our attempts to master this art. The joyful yet challenging teaching that we have come to expect from Mother Mary Francis is on display in these Advent conferences written for her spiritual daughters at the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Meditating on passages from Scripture about the coming of the Messiah into both our world and our hearts, Mother challenges us to persevere in overcoming our faults, while keeping our eyes on the Lord who has called us to himself, for it is he who, through the gifts of his grace, will complete in us the work of sanctification which he has begun. Although written for Advent, the wisdom of Mother Mary Francis collected by her sisters for this volume is profitable at any time, because a Christian life is one of constant growth into the very likeness of God.

Many Catholics are unaware of our holy traditions on and powerful devotions to the Sorrows of Mary. Based on Scripture and the lives of the Saints, this little book will open eyes and hearts to the Sorrows of Our Lady.