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.

Being Catholic: What Every Catholic Should Know-(Paperback)- Book

Series Summary

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. Previously published titles in this series include what every Catholic should know about Literature, Salvation, and God.

Book Summary

In Being Catholic: What Every Catholic Should Know, Suzie Andres focuses on those doctrines, customs, traditions, and practices which have been, for centuries, at the very heart of Catholic faith and practice. 

Topics covered include:

The Seven Sacraments
The Layout of a Church
Details and Process of the Mass
Catholic Doctrine on Mary
The Communion of Saints
Angels
The Liturgical Year
Popes, Bishops, Priests, and Religious Life
Different Rites (Latin, Byzantine, Alexandrian, etc.) 

“Cradle Catholic, Convert, or Curious Inquirer . . . you will quickly find there are more Catholic customs, traditions, habits, and points of etiquette than articles of the Creed, and so, for easier access, my bet is that you will find it handy to have all this lore in one short book.” —From Being Catholic: What Every Catholic Should Know 

About the Author

Suzie Andres, a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and the University of Notre Dame, lives and writes in Southern California. She is the editor of Selected Sermons of Thomas Aquinas McGovern, S.J., and author of Homeschooling with Gentleness, A Little Way of Homeschooling, and the Catholic romantic comedy The Paradise Project. You can find her blog, “Miss Marcel’s Musings” at suzieandres.com, where you’ll also find links to her books, online articles, and book lists for all ages.

Made for Love

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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?

Waiting for Christ

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Blessed John Henry Newman was one of the most beloved and well-known preachers of his time. Originally an Anglican priest, Newman converted to Catholicism and became a Catholic priest and cardinal. Known for his beautiful prose and exultant preaching, Newman has long been a source of inspiration for those in the Church. In this new and compact compilation of his sermons, you’re invited to journey with Bl. John Henry Newman through Advent into Christmas and Epiphany, meditating on the coming of Christ and the Christian life. Newman’s masterful knowledge of the lives of the saints, Catholic doctrine, and, above all, Sacred Scripture, will help you immerse yourself in these liturgical seasons of waiting, wondering, and joy.

These beautiful meditations guide you through reflections on:
• Preparing for the Lord’s coming at Christmas and the end of time
• Our dependence upon the Lord’s goodness
• What happens when we do not seek truth
• Mary’s role in salvation history
• God’s call for each and every one of us to holiness
• Glorifying God in the world
• True joy
• Martyrdom, affliction, and consolation
• Love as the one thing needful

Waiting for Christ provides an opportunity to spend a few minutes with Bl. John Henry Newman and Christ every day of the Advent and Christmas seasons, preparing for the coming of the Lord.

Praise for Waiting for Christ

“Daily meditation and prayer, much as one spends time with a friend, is an essential practice for any person who desires to have Jesus as an intimate companion. This wonderful selection of Newman’s meditations enables us to draw close to Christ as we await his Nativity each year, that he may recognize us when he returns in glory.”

– Sebastian White, OP, Editor-in-Chief, Magnificat (USA)

“Newman was a prolific and accomplished writer in many and varied genres, but I have always believed that his voice can best be heard through his sermons. Christopher Blum has captured that sweet voice by giving us a rich selection of Newman’s very best sermons for Advent and Christmas to accompany us through these graced seasons.”

– The Most Reverend James D. Conley, STL, Bishop of Lincoln

“These passages are superbly selected, showing that Newman’s is not simply a voice from the past, but one that speaks to the needs of faith in our day. And the peculiar quality of Newman’s voice is how easily he slips into the background to leave us thinking only of Christ, so that the heart of Christ speaks to our hearts through Newman’s words. This book invites us to spend a few minutes each day with a man of eloquence and holiness—and to be left, not with an impression of Newman, but with a longing for Christ that makes us more ready to welcome him, both in the great feast of Christmas and in the ordinary details of each day.”

– Edward Hogan, Ph.D., Academic Dean, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary

About the Author

Blessed John Henry Newman was born in England in 1801. He spent his early adult life as an Anglican priest and academic. Involved in what was known as the Oxford Movement, a movement within Anglicanism that supported the return to some Catholic beliefs and liturgical reform, he later left the Church of England. He converted to Catholicism, was ordained a Catholic priest, and years later was made a cardinal. Newman was widely known as a powerful preacher before and after his conversion to Catholicism, and was an extremely prolific author, writing sermons, essays, poetry, hymns, and an autobiography. He died in 1890 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Product Details

• Pages: 160
• Format: Paperback
• Size: 5.25" x 8"
• Release Date: October 2018

You Are Loved - Student Activity Book

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Each session of this full color Student Activity Book includes sticker pages and engaging, lively activities including family take home pages in English and Spanish, word searches, songs, crossword puzzles, and flash cards.

About You Are Loved

Signs of Grace: You Are Loved prepares children to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time by revealing the intimate love that God has for us. It is most effective when used with The Augustine Institute’s Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist to catechise the parent’s and help meet the crucial need for ongoing formation and catechesis for the entire family.

You Are Loved includes eight sessions, each presenting the teachings of the Church on the Sacrament of the Eucharist with a focus on helping the children understand that the Sacrament of First Holy Communion is a real encounter with Jesus Christ who desires to unite himself to 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.

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

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 he lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife and children.

You Are Forgiven - Student Activity Book

View Sample

Each session of this full color Student Activity Book includes sticker pages and engaging, lively activities including family take home pages in English and Spanish, word searches, songs, crossword puzzles, and flash cards.

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.

Trouble with Lent: The Adventures of Nick & Sam

Join the Perry Twins on Their Lenten Adventure!

Introducing Book #4 in The Adventures of Nick & Sam!

In Trouble with Lent, the fourth book of "The Adventures of Nick and Sam," the Perry twins are celebrating Lent at school, at church, and with their family.

The family discusses what they will be giving up for Lent, and Nick and Sam experience some struggles with their choices throughout the Lenten season. A new boy, Riley, joins their class. He's obsessed with Big Foot, and he and Nick get into some strange adventures seeking the famous creature. Sam enters the school spelling bee, and she struggles with temptation when someone tries to help her cheat. The kids learn about temptations, sacrifices, poverty, and the love of Jesus along the way.

The chapters follow along the calendar for the season of Lent and lead right into the joy of Easter Sunday.

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. It 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

– 270 Pages
– Released 2019
– Paperback