Family / Women

Covering a range of ages and stages, from the early years ("It's a stage; it will pass") to the teenage years ("Don't make your child lie"), this book gives dedicated parents the tools they need to spot the hidden assumptions colored by pop psychology, and make parenting choices that are consistent with raising up good Catholic kids.

Parents who read Advice Worth Ignoring will feel empowered to judge the advice that's right for their own family, regardless of who doles it out. Contains a special section specifically for adoptive parents.

These gentle illustrations and wise words tell the story of that baby and the angel in the waters . . . a story that will delight all young children, because the journey from conception to birth is their story, too.

Mary Gannon Kaufmann describes the life-giving nature of womanhood and seeks to guide women to live a deeper contemplative life of faith and prayer that can awaken holiness in themselves and others, in their families and the priests and deacons that they pray for.

Even though this call to effectively intercede for others is not new, today the call to spiritually uplift the Church and her clergy stands in new brilliance. Using Venerable Concepci n's work as well as the insights of other saintly women, Awakening a Life-Giving Heart helps women learn to negotiate the ups and downs of their lives as prayerful sacrifices for others.

It can be scary to hold your newborn--especially your first time! Yet God's grace and spirit are present. Blessing and Prayers for New Parents calls attention to these holy moments by offering reflections, prayers, Scripture, special suggestions for growing as a parent, and ways to remember how much you love your child as you grow together as a family.

Enjoy the new life of your child as author Matthew Beck shares prayers and blessings as you "anxiously await the wonder" on up through "God and toddlers" and beyond--all through the eyes of a new parent and all wrapped up in God's care.

Paperback

If you've been wondering how to bring the rich traditions of the Catholic Church's liturgical year into your home and into your family, this is the book for you. If you have no idea what the liturgical calendar is, this still might be the book for you, if you are looking for ways to bring your faith home from Sunday Mass, in every season, all year long.

Catholic blogger and mother of many, Kendra Tierney shares how her family incorporates traditional Catholic practices into today's family life throughout the Church year--from Advent and Christmas, through Lent and Easter, to Pentecost and beyond. She provides ideas for stories, decorations, activities, and foods that will help you to celebrate your Catholic faith with your family and friends without expertise or much advance planning. She also offers tips and tricks from her fifteen years in the Catholic mommy trenches on things like surviving bringing young children to Mass and saying a family Rosary.

Whether you're a convert or a revert, an expert theologian or a brand-new Catholic, a member of a big family or a little one, a stay-at-home or a working parent, you're sure to find ways to make your Catholic faith a memorable and meaningful part of your busy family life. And have fun doing it!

This beautifully designed book will help readers celebrate Catholicism throughout the years, across daily practice and milestones. The Catholic Catalogue is a field guide, a list of far ranging topics, that should aid any Catholic, whether steeped in the tradition or just discovering spirituality for the first time, to understand the daily acts that make up a Catholic life. And like the most useful field guides, it is divided into user-friendly sections and covers such topics as the veneration of relics, blessing your house, discovering a vocation, raising teenagers, getting a Catholic tattoo, planting a Mary garden, finding a spiritual director, and exploring your own way in the tradition.

With more than 75 inspiring chapters, this book promises to be a resource that individuals and families will turn to again and again, helping to make room in their busy lives for mystery and meaning, awe and joy.

The Catholic Woman's Guide series integrates classic Catholic theology (Theology of the Body and teachings on contemplative prayer) with Sweet's unique brand of story and humor and will help you to find and hold on to authentic happiness, love, and joy in every area of your life. In this second volume, The Catholic Women's Guide to Romance, Sweet takes you through the doorway of romance that leads deep into the "Interior Life." Topics include:

The Adventure awaits! Accompany Rose through the portal of romance to the Love that never fails!

In A Family Guide to Spiritual Warfare, Kathleen Beckman offers you potent advice from her 12 years of active participation on an exorcist's team. She shows you how to "clean up" your household by cultivating in your family a civilization of love "€" and how to withstand the spiritual attacks that inevitably come to destroy the harmonious family life you create.

Beckman reveals how you can recognize diabolical disguises in your home and offers proven means of protection found only in the Church's arsenal of spiritual weapons.

Demons wage war against families because families are vital to God’s plan of salvation. This stark reality requires that your family members become well-trained spiritual warriors who actively secure your home and fight to keep it off-limits to demonic activity.

In A Family Guide to Spiritual Warfare, Kathleen Beckman offers you potent advice from her 12 years of active participation on an exorcist’s team. She shows you how to “clean up” your household by cultivating in your family a civilization of love — and how to withstand the spiritual attacks that inevitably come to destroy the harmonious family life you create.

Beckman reveals how you can recognize diabolical disguises in your home and offers proven means of protection found only in the Church’s arsenal of spiritual weapons. 

You’ll also learn the devil’s strategies — how he does not necessarily seek to possess but simply to seed your family with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy, and vice. This, she explains, is why it’s so important for spouses and children to become schooled in the art of spiritual combat. It’s the only way you can destroy the works of the devil and unmask the hidden evil that weaves in and out of your daily family life.

Along with more than two dozen effective prayers for family healing and deliverance, you’ll also learn:

• How to understand the spirits working for — and against — your family, and what to do in response to them

• What specific actions to take if you believe your family has come under the influence of demonic activity

• How to use your baptismal, spousal, and parental authority in spiritual warfare

• How curses can become effective — and what can be done to counteract them

• The difference between diabolical temptation, oppression, obsession, and possession

• The seven ways your family can wear the full armor of God

• The diabolical counterparts to each of the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes

• The 13 weapons you can use to defend yourself and your family against evil spirits

Feeding Your Family's Soul: Dinner Table Spirituality has won second prize in the Family Life category from the Catholic Press Association!​

Feeding Your Family's Soul is a vital tool to enable parents to transform a regular dinner time into a prayerful faith lesson for their elementary school to high school aged children. It will indeed help to fulfill the Catholic Church's vision for evangelization in the family and beyond.

Through 52 fun and creative faith lessons (one for each week of the year), this one-of-a-kind book will encourage parents and caregivers to seize the opportunity in teaching the Catholic faith to the children (the captive audience waiting to eat!) while gathered at the dinner table, and while reminding them of the value of coming together as a family to break bread and share hearts.

See her interview on Boston Catholic TV: www.feedingyourfamilyssoul.com

Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (second place, gender issues-inclusion in the Church).

Is it possible to be both a Catholic and a feminist? Claire Swinarski, writer and creator of The Catholic Feminist podcast, believes it is: "I'm a feminist for the same reason I'm bold and honest and sometimes ragey: because Jesus was all of those things."

In Girl, Arise!, Swinarski reconciles the two identities by demonstrating the strength and abilities women have to share with the Body of Christ, the importance of women throughout the history of the faith, and how the love you experience through Christ and the Church can change you and the world around you.

In Girl, Arise!: A Catholic Feminist's Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World Swinarski points out that while both "feminism" and "Catholicism" can mean different things to different people, both feminists and Catholics desire to make the world a better, fairer place. And she shows that by treating women with dignity equal to that of men--by calling them his friends and teaching them--Jesus acted as a feminist as well.

With humor and sass, Swinarski addresses her frustration with the traditional concerns churches ascribe to women, as shown by the many talks directed at women focused on marriage and modesty rather than social justice. But she pinpoints the areas where modern feminism goes too far, arguing against abortion and exploring what it means to serve others rather than focus on our own needs first.

Swinarski also tells the stories of holy women--including Vashti in the book of Esther, Sts. Thérèse of Lisieux and Joan of Arc, Mary Magdalene, and the Blessed Virgin Mary--to show how their faith influenced their actions, even when those actions went against traditional norms and roles of women.

You will be empowered to embrace your God-given abilities as you follow the women who have gone before you in faith who--by announcing Christ to his disciples, believing in God's promises, and being faithful in hardship--changed the world.

In this frank and intimate story, Duggan explores the emotional and spiritual healing that needed to take place in her life in order to be the parent, spouse, and follower of Christ God created her to be. Sharing both funny parenting moments and difficult times of self-scrutiny, Duggan invites us to join her in experiencing God's healing mercy and shows how to allow that healing to rejuvenate our lives and revitalize our families.

As a child, Duggan smoothed over the jagged edges of her difficult home life with good grades and perfect behavior. By the time Duggan was an adult, her drive to constantly be in control was her way of life. It was only when she began raising her family that she realized how damaging this compulsion was for both her and the people around her.

That's when she began her faltering journey toward letting God be in control.

In Good Enough Is Good Enough, Duggan shares her heartaches--learning her child has a genetic disorder that might lead to cancer; realizing that her drive to do and be everything for everyone strained her marriage; and struggling with feelings of worthlessness after leaving her job to become "just" a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. She also shares parenting difficulties we've all faced--trying to keep her kids quiet during Mass; wondering whether she's giving them enough opportunities for growth; and balancing time spent on herself, her kids, and others. With each story, we feel the brokenness she tried to cover by being a "perfect" parent and the eventual realization that she needed to find healing.

Through the saints, the Sacraments, and Catholic traditions and literature, Duggan found the Church a place where God's love and healing grace embraced her. She invites us to the same conclusion: whether we are dealing with everyday frustrations or life-changing tragedies, it is in the heart of the Catholic Church that we are finally free to let go of our facades in order to embrace our brokenness and find healing.

Since the first edition was published in 2010, it's become an indispensable resource for two generations of Catholic moms, offering a unique perspective on all aspects of life and honest advice from fellow moms on topics ranging from marriage and finances to stress management and parish life.

The Handbook for Catholic Moms is not a typical parenting book: It doesn't offer tips for calming a fussy baby or dealing with adolescent angst. In caring for yourself--heart, mind, body, and soul--you can better love and care for your family, community, and Church, according to Lisa M. Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of The Book of Saints for Catholic Moms and The Grace of Yes.

Hendey provides her personal stories and observations on a number of topics, including:

Winner of a 2020 Excellence in Publishing Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers (second place, ministry); 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (second place, family life).

Do you struggle to know when or if it's appropriate to step in to help a teen who seems stressed, anxious, or depressed? Do you know the signs to look for to determine whether a teen is in distress?

In Helping Teens with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, Roy Petitfils--a Catholic author, speaker, and psychotherapist--offers his personal experience, advice, and faith to give parents, pastors, and youth leaders the knowledge, courage, and tools they need to step in, make a difference, and be the presence of Christ for teens in crisis.

Roy Petitfils knows what it's like to be an addicted, depressed teenager, filled with self-loathing and desperate for help. He describes himself at high school graduation as by far the largest person in his hometown and yet feeling as though he were "stuck in Harry Potter's invisibility cloak." Weighing more than 500 pounds, he was addicted to food and hated himself.

Now a leading Catholic voice in youth advocacy and creator of the popular podcast Today's Teenager, Petitfils entered adulthood a very different person than he is today. His life was radically changed by a handful of people in college who reached out in friendship and helped him set a new course.

Using personal life lessons and expertise gleaned from more than twenty-five years in youth ministry and private practice as a licensed counselor, Petitfils teaches parents, pastors, and youth leaders what they need to know about mental health issues among America's youth. Whether teens need help coping with healthy levels of stress or face persistent, more serious problems with anxiety and depression, Petitfils will help the adults in their lives get comfortable with stepping in.

Petitfils offers information and advice on:

He explores the support and comfort available through the sacraments, Catholic devotions, different forms of prayer, and reading the Bible. Ultimately, Petitfils identifies how to gently, yet persuasively guide hurting young people to deeper trust in the tender mercies of God.

"Today, the family is in crisis--it is in crisis worldwide," Pope Francis has said. "Young people don't want to get married, they don't get married, or they live together. Marriage is in crisis, and so the family is in crisis." The main problem with the family in the Church today, contends Cardinal Gerhard MUller, is not the small number of civilly remarried divorced Catholics who want to received Holy Communion. It is the large number of Catholics who live together before marriage, who marry civilly, or who do not even bother with marriage, as if these choices were sound options for Catholic living. It is also a failure of many who marry "in the Church" to understand marriage as part of their Christian discipleship.

In this engaging conversation, Cardinal MUller, one of Pope Francis' top advisers in the Vatican, addresses the challenges facing marriage and family life today. The loss of faith in many traditionally Christian societies has led to a crisis. In turn, cohabitation, civil marriage, and divorce and civil remarriage, further undermine faith because they harm the family as the "domestic Church" and the place of initial evangelization. The solution: the Church must undertake a robust new evangelization of the family: sharing the fullness of truth about marriage and family in Christ, encouraging families to worship and pray together, and helping them witness by their lives to the joy of the gospel.

Cardinal MUller stresses mercy and compassion in pastoral minstry with struggling Catholics, but he does so without contradicting the teaching of Jesus about divorce and remarriage and minimizing the power of grace to transform lives. In this way he proclaims hope for the family rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Are you interested in connecting with other women who share your faith, interests, and everyday concerns?

A vibrant, self-sustaining women's ministry will help you achieve this goal, can take many forms, and is a key component of any vital parish, says Elizabeth Tomlin, who for nearly a decade has launched and grown Catholic women's ministries in the United States and abroad. In Joyful Momentum, Tomlin shows you how you also can start, expand, strengthen, or retool an existing women's group or ministry in your own Catholic parish.

God can use even the most unlikely people to build up a successful women's ministry, Elizabeth Tomlin says. "If someone had told college-aged me that I would someday lead a global women's ministry, I would have said, 'No way. I'm not smart enough. I don't know enough. I'm too sinful. I'm not good enough.'" And yet, that is exactly what happened. Tomlin is a founding member of the Military Council of Catholic Women Worldwide, the women's ministry organization of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA.

Whether you are interested in starting a spiritual book club or a group for moms with young children, retooling an existing ministry for moms who work outside their homes, or revitalizing a languishing prayer group or committee, you may feel underqualified and overwhelmed when first facing the challenges. Joyful Momentum provides the tools you need to get started, including "Momentum Builders" that will give you the confidence to do what needs to be done.

Tomlin shares her personal stories, spiritual insights, and practical tips to show how almost any group can create a spirited, sustainable outreach. With natural warmth, honesty, and self-deprecating humor, she makes a compelling case for the importance of women's ministry in the life of a parish, and coaches you through all the details.

Used for personal formation or as a group study, this book conveys the important elements of women's ministry--from a small book club to a larger undertaking that might include social media-based prayer supports, on-call childcare helpers, or multi-committee annual festivals or parishwide events.

This book will teach you:

Each chapter offers practical advice and inspirational stories to help you discover how to cultivate Christ-centered friendships; discern a call to women's ministry in yourself and others; invest in prayerful preparation, biblical hospitality, and faith formation; develop a leadership team; and create a mentoring plan that will sustain the group over time.