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

You Are Forgiven - Student Guide

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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.

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

Perfect Gifts: The Adventures of Nick & Sam

Double the Fun, Double the Trouble

The end of summer means two things for the twins Nicholas and Samantha. First, pack in a lot of fun before school starts. Second, get presents for their birthday.

But this year has its share of trouble when Nick and Sam get caught sneaking peeks at their hidden presents. And that's just the start! Later, Nick turns a family hike into a stinky event. Sam discovers just how dangerous disobedience can be. And an unwise buying spree leads to more problems than Nick could imagine.

Will the twins be able to celebrate their birthday this year?

About the Series

Nicolas (Nick) and Samantha (Sam) Perry are twins in the Perry family. They moved with their parents, their brother Andrew, and their sister Lizzy, to Hope Springs in the summer. Hope Springs is a fictional town in the mountains of Colorado, the setting of the Hope Springs series. Hope Springs is a multi-faceted series of stories that explores living the Catholic faith in the modern world. This series presents the adventures of the twins, their family, their friends, and the people they encounter at school, church, and in town. This series presents Catholic culture easily and normally, and provides opportunities for readers to think about the consequences of words and actions. Centered around the Perry family, Hope Springs was introduced as short stories in the Signs Of Grace catechetical workbooks and now includes novels for First Readers (ages 7+) under the banner The Adventures Of Nick & Sam. The world of Hope Springs also appears in the grown-up novel Blue Christmas. The likeable and engaging characters reflect the sensibilities and struggles of being Catholic in the quirky small town of Hope Springs, playing out their faith at the St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church and School, with their neighborhood friends and adversaries, and in the many adventures that makes the teachings of the Church come alive. This series is written similarly to the Adventures in Odyssey series and the Magic Tree House Series, and is recommended for readers ages seven and up, but can also be read by parents to younger children.

About the Author

Paul McCusker is an American writer most widely known for Adventures in Odyssey, but he has worked on many other types of writing projects: novels, plays, musicals, radio dramas, and movie scripts. Paul now writes for the Augustine Institute Radio Theatre productions and the Publishing Department. He is a convert to Catholicism, and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife and children.

Product Details

– 153 Pages
– Released 2018
– Paperback

Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained - PART 1 - Participant Guide

This guide for Part 1 of Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained is the key for helping participants apply what they learn about their faith to their daily lives.   

Virtue Chronicles: Book #2: The Warrior Maiden - Book

In The Warrior Maiden, the second book of the series, Andrew and Eve have just returned from their time with the legendary Robin Hood in 13^th century England (told in The Saintly Outlaw). But their return isn’t easy. Through an accidental touch of the Radiant Stone, the two are transported to 15^th century France. Without the Radiant Stone in their grasp, Andrew and Eve don’t know how they’ll ever return to the present. Yet they cling to the hope that they are in the past to serve a purpose. Circumstances bring them into the company of the young Joan of Arc as she seeks to fulfill God’s mission to overthrow English domination and make France’s volatile prince into the true king of France. Taken on as her “guardian angels,” the two time-travelers experience first-hand the trials and victories of the “Warrior Maiden.” At every step, they learn to trust God, even while hoping to find a way home again – and some unlikely characters may have the answer they need.

SERIES SUMMARY

The Virtues Chronicles follows the adventures of 12 year-olds Andrew Perry and Eve Virtue as they contend with the mysterious Radiant Stone – an ancient jewel with the power to send them back in time. The legends of the Stone, and the remarkable history of its discoverer, Alfred Virtue, unfold from story to story in a series that explores the wonder of God’s universe, but the many saints and sinners who have impacted it through time.

AUTHOR

Paul McCusker is an author, dramatist and novelist. Paul is known for his work with the popular Adventures In Odyssey series, the Hope Springs series, and award-winning audio dramas for the Augustine Institute and Focus on the Family.