The Virtue Chronicles – The Saintly Outlaw - Book

Andrew Perry likes history, but he never expected to experience it firsthand. But that’s what happens when he meets the unusual Eve Virtue, a direct descendant of the explorer and entrepreneur Alfred Virtue. Eve has uncovered Alfred Virtue’s greatest secret: the mysterious Radiant Stone. Before Andrew knows it, the two of them are in twelfth-century England, caught up in the adventures of the saintly outlaw Robin Hood.

Series Summary

The Virtue Chronicles follows the time-traveling adventures of Andrew Perry and Eve Virtue, as they use the ancient Radiant Stone to encounter the great people and events of history. Their adventures in the past also trigger mysteries in the present, as they learn more and more about the work of secretive explorer Alfred Virtue. Part of the world of Hope Springs, The Virtue Chronicles series is written for 10-to-12 year-olds (though readers of all ages will enjoy the stories).

About the Author

I Thirst: 40 Days with Mother Teresa (Paperback)

St. Teresa of Calcutta was a woman known and loved for her tender work among the poorest of the poor. Behind her drive and desire to serve Christ’s poor was a profound understanding of the thirst of God for man, and man’s thirst for God. This guided meditation on Scripture and the teaching of Mother Teresa will lead those who read it into the heart of the mystery of God’s thirst for souls, and how man can meet the Lord’s thirst. Fr. Joseph Langford, an intimate friend of Mother Teresa’s and a co-founder with her of the Missionary of Charity Fathers, leads the reader into Mother Teresa’s love of God, and helps foster the love of God in the heart of the reader.

Divided into seven main sections, these meditations will provoke prayer on:

– The Dynamics of Thirst

– Prayer as Thirst

– Our Lady’s Example in Meeting God’s Thirst

– Thirst in the Service of God

– Sharing in the Thirst of Christ

– Jesus as the Incarnation of God’s Thirst

– Satiated Thirst

I Thirst provides an opportunity to spend a few minutes every day with Mother Teresa and the thirst of our Lord. It provides an opportunity to grow in intimacy, and to meet the thirst of God with our own thirst for him.

About the Author

Fr. Joseph Langford (1951-2010)

Fr. Joseph Langford co-founded the Missionary of Charity Fathers in 1984 with Mother Teresa. He often gave retreats on Mother Teresa’s spirituality both to the Missionaries of Charity congregations and to many other groups. He is the author of the popular work on Mother Teresa, Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire. He recognized in Mother Teresa’s encounter with the thirst of Jesus and her emphasis on satiating that thirst a powerful symbol of God’s love for each person and a road into experiencing that love more profoundly.

Product Details

– 176 Pages
– Also available in a Leatherbound version.
– White flex leather with blue embossing
– 5.25" x 8"
– Spine width: ½”

Praise for I Thirst: 40 Days with Mother Teresa

Fr. Langford was confessor and retreat master for Mother Teresa’s religious sisters, as well as her confidante, in a privileged position to know the secrets Jesus had confided to her. Thus to have in this book, I Thirst, Fr. Langford’s retreat notes on Mother’s understanding of Jesus’ cry from the cross, is to have a priceless treasure. The untold riches of Mother Teresa’s heart – which are nothing but the untold riches of Christ’s own Heart – are here before us in these pages.

–Suzie Andres, author of Homeschooling with Gentleness, A Little Way of Homeschooling (Christendom Press, 2004)

If you thirst for the living water of God, follow the wisdom of Mother Teresa and she will surely lead you to the source.

–Dan Burke, President of EWTN News and the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation

Father Langford’s reflections take us into the heart of Mother Teresa’s spirituality. Based on his close relationship with Mother and his own contemplation and teaching on this theme, these meditations help us encounter God more in our thirst for Him and His thirst for us.

–Dr. Edward Sri, Vice President for Formation, Fellowship of Catholic University Students

Ironically, in a world supposedly overflowing with self-esteem, many, many people cannot believe that "God thirsts" for them. This little book makes a convincing scriptural case that it is true! And moves us to love God, ourselves, and others better because of it. It is a perfect gem of spiritual reading .

–Helen M. Alvaré, Professor of Law, The Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University

In 2008, I traveled to Ethiopia for Catholic Relief Services and visited the large, bustling orphanage of the Missionaries of Charity, which served thousands of people of all ages each day. When I asked about the source of the sisters’ energy for all of this good work, I was led into a primitive chapel with a tabernacle and the words “I thirst,” over the Blessed Sacrament. The book, I Thirst: 40 Days with Mother Teresa, written by a priest who worked with Mother Teresa, provides 40 day portions of the rich spirituality of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. I Thirst communicates well Jesus’ desire or thirst to love us deeply and our inner thirst for His presence in our lives. I strongly encourage its use during Lent or any other time of the year.

–Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., Archbishop of Louisville

You Are Forgiven - Student Guide

View Sample

Each session of this full-color Student Guide includes a story from Scripture as well as a story of a saint relevant to the lesson, key word definitions, a fun activity, a story featuring fictional characters children can relate to, and a session recap.

About You Are Forgiven

Signs of Grace: You Are Forgiven prepares children to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time by revealing that God is indeed “rich in mercy.” It is most effective when used with The Augustine Institute’s Forgiven: The Transforming Power of Confession to catechise the parent’s and help meet the crucial need for ongoing formation and catechesis for the entire family.

You Are Forgiven includes seven sessions, each presenting the good news of salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ, with a focus on helping children understand that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a real encounter with him, and that he desires to forgive and heal us at the deepest levels of our humanity.

And while the curriculum is focused on the child, it also recognizes that it is in the Christian family that the Faith is first learned and is most effectively understood and lived out. A Family Take Home Page is provided with each session in English and Spanish to engage parents and the entire family in this journey of Faith.

Made for Love

View book sample

Father Michael Schmitz addresses the teachings of the Catholic Church on the issue of same-sex attraction. With compassion and clarity, he shows that the Church’s teachings are rooted in the yearnings for authentic love that are shared by all who are made in the image and likeness of God. With his trademark fresh and engaging style, Fr. Schmitz addresses:

 • Different types of love
 • The nature of the human being and human sexuality
 • Disordered attractions
 • Identity and sexuality
 • Jesus’s teachings on marriage
 • Popular misconceptions about the teachings of the Church and same-sex attraction
 • God’s all-encompassing love

Above all, Made for Love is about genuine love: how we can truly love each other, how the Bible teaches us to love, and how God is not simply loving, but love itself.

About the Author

Fr. Mike Schmitz is one of the leading speakers in the Catholic church today. He preaches to youth and young adults across the country about the love of God and the call of Jesus Christ for saints to be raised up in the Church. He serves as both the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. His ministry focuses on being fed by the Sacraments and a solid theological formation as the foundation for true discipleship and evangelization. Fr. Michael is known nationally for his inspiring homilies, his presentations and talks to university students, and his tremendous sense of humor.

Product Details

192 Pages
Book size: 5.25" x 8"
Paperback
Publication year: 2017

Praise for Made for Love

“Fr. Michael Schmitz strikes all the right notes, explaining what the Church teaches (the true), why it’s the right path (the good), and how it leads to happiness (the beautiful). He explains the Church’s full teachings on homosexuality but with remarkable ‘gentleness and reverence’ (1 Pt 3:15).”

– Brandon Vogt, founder of ClaritasU and author of RETURN: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church

“When others would muddy the waters of Our Lord’s love for all, Fr. Schmitz’s book filters the pure and renewing love of God for those who experience same-sex attraction and helps their loved ones understand this particular struggle.”

– Curtis Martin, founder of FOCUS

“In a culture that confuses love with moral relativism, many people have difficulties with the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. Fr. Schmitz helps us approach this topic with compassion and clarity, showing how the Church’s teaching on this topic is all about love—that we are made from love, by love, and for love.”

– Edward Sri, author of Who Am I to Judge?

Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know- Paperback

Learn about everything from the Greek epics to Shakespeare’s plays to Tolkien’s famous trilogy. Visit Dante’s Italy, Cervantes’s Spain, Dostoevsky’s Russia, and Jane Austen’s England along the way.

Part of the What Every Catholic Should Know series, this book is an insightful introduction to the world’s rich depository of stories. It directs the reader back to The Story—the Story of Salvation History—because this is what great literature does. Great literature directs us back to the Storyteller, God himself. Allow Joseph Pearce to be your joyful guide on this brief pilgrimage through the literature every Catholic should know.

About the Author

Joseph Pearce is Director of Book Publishing at the Augustine Institute, editor of the St. Austin Review, and the author of books on Shakespeare, Tolkien, Chesterton, and other Christian literary figures.

About the Series

The new “What Every Catholic Should Know” series is intended for the average faithful Catholic who wants to know more about Catholic faith and culture. The authors in this series take a panoramic approach to the topic of each book aimed at a non-specialist but enthusiastic readership. Forthcoming titles planned for this series include: mercy, history, art, music, and philosophy.

Product Details

– 210 pages
– 5.25" x 8"
– Published 2019
– Paperback

Praise for Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know

“Joseph Pearce’s introduction to literature will be immediately valuable to homeschoolers and college freshmen, but also to the general reader who knows it is as important to know how to read as it is to know what to read.”

–Dutton Kearney, PhD,
Associate Professor of English,
Hillsdale College

“Learned and accessible, witty and wise, this volume should be a required textbook for every Catholic high school and college student and a must read for all who wish to mine the depths of truly Catholic literature.”

–Fr. Dwight Longenecker,
Blogger, speaker, and author of
The Romance of Religion: Fighting for Goodness, Truth, and Beauty

“This is an eloquent, keenly reasoned, aptly documented, and indisputably cogent book that belongs in every undergraduate library.”

–Philip C. Kolin, PhD,
Distinguished Professor of English (Emeritus)
University of Southern Mississippi