When it comes to sin, no one's an innocent bystander. But do we really need to bring those sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Penance? Why? And what do priests think of the sacrament? Are they bored in the confessional? Distracted? Shocked by what they hear? As The Untapped Power of the Sacrament of Penance makes clear, priests cherish the sacrament of reconciliation as a powerful movement of God's healing love. If you have abandoned the confessional out of fear or apathy or the conviction that you don't have any "real" sins to confess—or if you are merely a once- or twice-a-year penitent—this book will put you back on track. There's no time like the present to return to this remarkable source of God's mercy and grace.

The global #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements as well as the push for LGBTQ+ rights are all emblematic of a growing interest in and focus on how to better embrace and capitalize on diversity. Yet these social movements exist alongside renewed efforts to constrain minority rights and stem immigration around the world. In Untapped Power, Carla Koppell has assembled a leading group of scholars, policy makers, researchers, and activists to provide a comprehensive overview for understanding and navigating these countervailing forces, so that we can build a more peaceful and inclusive world.

This is a Marian Consecration that people don't want to see end. Healing miracles, reunited families, and Catholic conversions have occurred because of the graces that flow from this self-guided retreat. Mary's Mantle Consecration: A Spiritual Retreat for Heaven's Help, endorsed by Bishop Myron J. Cotta, offers an outpouring of grace upon your life and your loved ones. St. Pope John Paul II said that his consecration to Mary was "a decisive turning point in my life." It can be the same for you. Mary's Mantle Consecration comes to us in tumultuous times. Today it is important that we consecrate ourselves to the Mother of God, entrusting our lives to her protection, guidance, and care, inviting her to conform us to the likeness of her Son. There is so much need and brokenness in the world, in the Church, in our families, and in our hearts. By preparing for consecration through the power of the Rosary, a little fasting, and a two-minute daily reading of a beautiful meditation on a virtue or gift of the Holy Spirit (people's favorite part), we can expect heaven's help. This self-guided retreat for consecration is perfect for individuals, couples, families, groups and parishes. It comes with an additional opportunity to dive even deeper into God through a companion workbook with quotes from saints, passages of Scripture, and insightful questions for reflection, called Mary's Mantle Consecration Prayer Journal.

In The Heart of Catholicism, Bert Ghezzi, bestselling author and popular speaker, invites readers into his deep love for the Church. With great warmth and authenticity, he shows how foundational habits such as praying, studying scripture, serving others, celebrating sacraments, and learning from the saints remind us who we are as followers of Christ. In this completely revised and expanded version of Being Catholic Today: Practicing the Everyday Habits That Shape Us, Bert Ghezzi brings together his love for the Church and his teaching expertise in this practical introduction to the way Catholics live. Ghezzi uses stories from his own life to show how Catholicism is contagious, spreading from person to person because of the things Catholics do that are distinctively Catholic. Essential practices such as praying daily, celebrating the sacraments, reading and applying scripture, honoring the saints, confessing and overcoming sin, participating in parish life, caring for the poor, and evangelizing are treated in seventeen brief and inspiring chapters.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the encounter of the penitent with the mercy of God is one of the most transforming moments in the spiritual life of a Catholic. The ritual itself has changed throughout history, but the purpose of the sacrament has remained the same: to seek the forgiveness of the Lord and to renew one’s efforts to live as a faithful and loving disciple of Jesus Christ. This resource provides pastoral insights for celebrating individual confession, communal Reconciliation services, and non-sacramental penance services with attention given to liturgical ministries, liturgical environment, and evangelization.

Confession reached its peak attendance in the early 1950s, but by the end of the Second Vatican Council, the popularity of the sacrament plummeted. While this decline is often noted by historians, theologians, priests, and laity alike - all eager to provide possible explanations - little attention has been paid to another dramatic shift. Coincident with the decreasing popularity of the sacrament of penance in the United States were changes to non-sacramental penitential practices, including Lenten fasting, Ember Days, and the year-round Friday meat abstinence. American Catholics - sometimes derisively called Fisheaters - had assiduously observed Friday abstinence, regardless of ethnicity or geographic location.

The Intifada of 2000-2001 has demonstrated the end of an era of diplomacy in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The style of peacemaking of the Olso Accords has been called into question by the facts on the ground. Elite forms of peacemaking that do not embrace the basic needs of average people on all sides are bound to fail. The complete neglect of deeper cultural and religious systems in the peace process is now apparent, as is the role that this neglect has played in the failure of the process. Building on his earlier book, Between Eden and Armageddon, Gopin provides a detailed blueprint of how the religious traditions in question can become a principal asset in the search for peace and justice. He demonstrates how religious people can be the critical missing link in peacemaking, and how the incorporation of their values and symbols can unleash a new dynamic that directly addresses basic issues of ethics, justice, and peace. Gopin's analysis of the theoretical, theological, and political planes shows us what has been achieved thus far, as well as what must be done next in order to ensure effective final settlement negotiations and secure, sovereign, democratic countries for both peoples.